Date of Interview: September 12, 2012
Location of Interview: Cowtan & Tout Corporate Office New York, New York
Length of Transcript: 13 pages
Audio Clips:
Biographical Summary
Miry Park was born in Seoul, South Korea, and immigrated with her family to the USA at an early age. She lived in various states but had ambitions to live in New York City, achieved when she gained a place at New York University to study Architectural History with a Minor in Non-Western Art. In college, she worked for renowned fashion designer Dianne Benson. Upon graduating, she was employed at the architectural firm Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates but found architecture unfulfilling. In a career change, she took a job at Donghia, as a textile and furniture designer. In 2000, she accepted a position as Vice President of Marketing at Cowtan & Tout, who had bought the Larsen brand, and so began her association with Jack Lenor Larsen.
Interview Topics
Park explains how the Cowtan & Tout Design Studio still uses the Larsen archive material for their inspiration; she discusses how some of the older Larsen designs have been reissued; she also gives an insight into Jack Lenor Larsen the person, his innate fashion sense, his superb communication skills, and his storytelling abilities.
Calicut (1972) Irish Awakening Collection 1998.022.4355
Funding for these oral histories was provided by a Craft Research Fund Grant from the University of North Carolina, Asheville Center for Craft, Creativity & Design.
