Didier Parakian

Didier Parakian
Parakian in 2012
Member of the National Assembly
In office
20 August 2023 – 9 June 2024
Preceded bySabrina Agresti-Roubache
Succeeded byMonique Griseti [fr]
ConstituencyBouches-du-Rhône's 1st
Personal details
Born (1964-03-05) 5 March 1964 (age 60)
Marseille, France
Political partyRenaissance
Other political
affiliations		Formerly The Republicans
OccupationBusinessman

Didier Parakian (born 5 March 1964) is a French businessman and politician. He made his fortune from ready-to-wear clothing. He was elected to Marseille city council in 2008 and was a deputy in the National Assembly from 2023 to 2024.

Biography

Parakian was born in Marseille. His Armenian grandparents migrated to France in 1920 from the Turkish cities of Bursa and Kütahya.[1]

Parakian set up an eponymous fashion brand with his sister Marjorie. He sold the majority of the shares to the Thomas family in 2015.[2] The following year, an unsuccessful attempt at becoming more upmarket led to the company going into receivership.[3] In March 2017, the company was rescued by Chinese corporation Zhejiang Dunnu.[4]

In 2008, Parakian was elected to the city council. He became a deputy to right-wing mayor Jean-Claude Gaudin.[5]

In July 2020, Parakian was appointed to the council of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis and named in the executive led by Martine Vassal.[6] He was put in charge of European funds.[7]

Formerly a member of The Republicans (LR), Parakian ran for Emmanuel Macron's Renaissance in the 2022 French legislative election, as the substitute for Sabrina Agresti-Roubache's candidacy in Bouches-du-Rhône's 1st constituency.[8] In July 2023, Agresti-Roubache was nominated for a ministerial post, and Parakian succeeded her as a deputy in the National Assembly.[9] Agresti-Roubache ran for Renaissance in the 2024 French legislative election.[10]

References

  1. ^ "Didier Parakian: "There is only happiness in our hearts; our dream has come true"". Armenians Today. 2 November 2010. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Didier Parakian: la famiglia Thomas diventa maggiore azionista" [Didider Parakian: the Thomas family become majority shareholders]. Fashion Magazine (in Italian). 2 July 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  3. ^ Lerévérend, Anaïs (14 November 2016). "Parakian Paris placé en redressement judiciaire" [Parakian Paris put into receivership]. Fashion Network (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  4. ^ "Parakian repris par un industriel chinois" [Parakian rescued by a Chinese industrial company]. Les Echos (in French). 1 March 2017. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  5. ^ Provansal, Florent (14 February 2022). "Marseille - Présidentielle 2022 : "J'appelle à voter Macron" (Didier Parakian)" [Marseille - 2022 presidential election: "I call for people to vote Macron"]. La Provence (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Martine Vassal remporte la présidence de la Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence" [Martine Vassal wins the presidency of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis]. La Marseillaise (in French). 9 July 2020. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  7. ^ Van Lède, Genevieve (2 October 2022). "La Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence se rêve en capitale européenne de l'innovation" [Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis dreams of being European Capital of Innovation]. La Provence (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Législatives à Marseille - 1ère circonscription : vers un remake de la présidentielle ?" [Legislative elections in Marseille - 1st constituency: towards a remake of the presidential election?]. La Provence (in French). 3 May 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  9. ^ Bordier, Antoine (9 September 2023). "Didier Parakian, le député marseillais qui chuchote à l'oreille du Président Macron" [Didier Parakian, the deputy from Marseille who whispers in the ear of President Macron]. Entreprendre (in French). Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  10. ^ Rof, Gilles (20 June 2024). "Législatives 2024 : à Marseille, l'opération survie de Sabrina Agresti-Roubache" [2024 legislative election: in Marseille, Sabrina Agresti-Roubache's survival operation]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 16 September 2024.