She Bootstrapped Her First Bag at a Dry Cleaner Before Getting Press
Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business OwnersShow Notes
Getting press rarely starts with a pitch. For Irene Chen, co-founder of Parker Thatch, it started years earlier with relationships she built long before she had a bag to sell.
On this episode of Dear FoundHer, host Lindsay Pinchuk talks with Irene Chen about turning a stationery line called Iomoi into Parker Thatch, a founder story rooted in scrappy beginnings. Irene shares how she cut her first pattern with the woman who hemmed her pants and bought canvas at Joann's with a 50% off coupon.
Bootstrapping forced Irene and her husband to figure out bag production from the ground up, despite Irene’s background in fashion and finance. She also explains how her friendship with Kate and Andy Spade helped shape two major turning points for the company, with Kate encouraging the move into leather and Kate and Andy pushing them to rethink the Iomoi name.
Getting press came easier once those relationships were already in place. Earned media and word of mouth remain one of her biggest drivers of growth today, proof that building relationships in business and networking for women pay off years later. Publicity followed the story, not the other way around. Listen to hear how one friendship changed the direction of an entire company.
Episode Breakdown: 00:00 Meet Irene Chen, Co-Founder of Parker Thatch 02:30 The Original Idea: E-Stationery Before the Web 05:15 From Paper Goods to Home Products 07:00 Cutting the First Bag Pattern at a Dry Cleaner 09:30 Sourcing Fabric and Leather on a Shoestring Budget 11:00 Getting Press Through Editor Relationships, Not Pitches 12:26 How Kate Spade Sparked the Leather Pivot 13:03 Renaming the Brand From Iomoi to Parker Thatch 17:00 Keeping Customization Alive at Scale 26:19 The Friendship With Kate Spade Beyond Business 39:50 Three Pieces of Advice for New Founders
Connect with Irene Chen: Follow Parker Thatch on Instagram
Follow Dear FoundHer on Instagram Join the Dear FoundHer... Forum
Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from Dear FoundHer...Real Founder Stories for Women Small Business Owners
Her mammogram ended with “see you in a year.” She felt nothing. Yet a few months later, Lindsay Pinchuk was diagnosed with stage 0 breast cancer. The cancer wasn't detected by a mammogram or an ultrasound. It was a breast MRI, ordered because of her dense breast tissue, that led to the diagnosis. On this solo episode of Dear FoundHer, Lindsay, an award-winning entrepreneur and host of the show, answers the questions she's received since sharing her diagnosis.
You never think it's going to be you until it is. On September 1st, 2026, award-winning entrepreneur Lindsay Pinchuk got the call that started her own stage 0 breast cancer story. The DCIS diagnosis came five days before her daughter's bat mitzvah, and within a day she had a surgery date before she even had a surgery plan.
Join host, Lindsay Pinchuk, LIVE for our 21-day Partnership Sprint starting October 12th. You'll build the exact partnership strategy she used to grow and sell her first company. No hacks, no algorithms, just the relationships that actually move a business forward.
Join host, Lindsay Pinchuk, LIVE for our 21-day Partnership Sprint starting October 12th. You'll build the exact partnership strategy she used to grow and sell her first company. No hacks, no algorithms, just the relationships that actually move a business forward.
RSVP and join us on Thursday, September 10 for: Your Next Chapter on LinkedIn: Turn Your Experience, Expertise and Network Into Opportunity