Remember that sophomore girl who could make a bong with an apple? Brett Heyman’s got her beat. The founder and creative director of Edie Parker now has handblown glass hash pipes shaped like peaches, grapes, and even a banana, which looks a little like… well… use your sophomore imagination.
“All the bongs and pipes are made in America by local artisans, and we tested them the good old-fashioned way,” says Heyman, who splits her time between New York City and Connecticut. “Cannabis has always been a part of how my friends and I entertain at home,” she continues. “Nobody’s stoned out of their minds or anything; it’s more like wine after dinner. Only lately, we’re drinking a bit less and including [pot] in a way that’s newly destigmatized.”
Marijuana is also newly merchandised—big time—not just with CBD beauty products but also, increasingly, in the fashion space. This month, Heyman debuts Edie Parker Flower, a spinoff of her cult accessory line with rolling papers, matches, trays, lighters, and the aforementioned designer dream pipes. There’s even a partnership with Flow Kana, a Northern California cannabis farm that sells three “private label” strains of pot exclusively through the fashion label.
“This expansion isn’t a seasonal thing,” Heyman says. “It’s big. We’ve been dipping our toes into home goods with trays, coasters, towels, things like that. But in the cannabis space, there’s nothing that looks like Edie Parker on the market—a take on those Cartier smoking trays from the ‘60s, those designer cigarette cases. Nothing new really exists. That’s exciting. But for me, I won’t make something unless I personally would use it. And with cannabis, I believe in the benefits of this plant. I believe it’s better for you than alcohol or a lot of other medications. Did you know that in all 33 states where it’s legal, opioid prescriptions have decreased? [Pot] can help solve the in opioid crisis. It can help reduce inflammation and anxiety. It grows from the ground, and it’s sustainable, but also, it’s fun! It makes things better and easier. And if you entertain at home, if you bring housewarming or host gifts to friends, what does that look like now? Very often, it looks like something involving cannabis.”
But not—Heyman stresses—at the office. “My office is filled with responsible adults. I wouldn’t expect people to drink during office hours, and I wouldn’t expect them to partake in cannabis, either. If you’re working late and need some inspiration, and have a glass of wine or a vape to aid that process, that’s different. But I’m running a business, you know? I have three young kids. I’m a law-abiding citizen.”
Which brings up another issue: even as marijuana is being decriminalized in many states nationwide, millions of Americans have been jailed for pot possession—with black citizens nearly 4 times more likely to be arrested than whites, according to the ACLU. As a wealthy white woman in an industry connected to racial bias, what responsibility—if any—does Heyman, and her cannabis-friendly company, have towards restorative justice?
“We have a big responsibility,” Heyman insists. “It’s a huge conversation we need to be having. Most of the people I’ve met in the cannabis industry are already giving money to criminal justice organizations to help free wrongfully jailed Americans. Honestly, we’ve always been philanthropic. We’ve made bags with 100% of proceeds going to Planned Parenthood or the ACLU. We just don’t talk about it too much, because our bags are fun, and that’s why we want you to buy them. But in this space, we’re starting a foundation to address and hopefully help repair the damage done [by mass incarceration]. It’ll be self-funded to begin with and then hopefully grow. But until it’s established, we’re looking for a foundation that focuses and supports women and families putting their lives back together after prison. A portion of our profits will go to that, once we find it… and if ELLE readers have any suggestions for a good organization, they can reach out to us directly. I would love it.”
Readers can also reach out to Edie Parker directly for custom bag designs, including—obviously—ones with WEED in big lacquered letters. “We get some requests for those,” Heyman laughs, “But more often, it’s their name or marital status. We get a lot of people asking for a bag that says divorced.”
