Buzzy Brand To Know! Emma Rose Rowen (26) Is The Young Star Behind Celeb Fave, Rowen Rose

by Freya Drohan

If you too are keeping an eye on what fashion superstars are wearing—aka, our literal job—there’s high chance you’ve already stumbled upon the feed of Rowen Rose. Counting (deep breath!) Elsa Hosk, Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, Ariana Grande, Coco Rocha, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, Lily Collins, and oh so many more among its fans, the Paris-based label is proving to be a serious contender as an emerging global luxury brand for the next generation. After styling our NYFW issue cover star Brooks Nader in one of the delicious Pre-Fall ’23 looks, we began to wonder more about the brand—and were shocked to hear its designer, Emma Rose Rowen, set up shop in 2018 when she was just 21. Read on to hear her impressive trajectory!

You’re so young. Tell us how you got your start as a designer!
I don’t feel that young, to be honest! I am usually surrounded by younger people in my team and with models, so I am very often the oldest of the group…even at 26 years old! Plus, being an entrepreneur brings so much work and responsibilities that you immediately feel 10 years older. I knew I wanted to become a fashion designer at 13-years-old, and since then, I kind of dedicated by entire life to it. In my spare time, all I was doing was learning about fashion, as well as taking night classes after high school. Then came fashion university, mixed with many internships and working for other brands before graduating. Finally I creating the brand…and I haven’t stopped since!

You launched in 2018. Take us back to this time…what was it like finding your feet and getting the brand off the ground?
Nothing comes easy, that’s for sure. Every step of the way was, and still is, a constant fight. I still learn every day from my experiences and mistakes, but I have to admit that I started the brand with a real knowledge of my industry which made it easier. As I was saying before, I started working very young. I did internships non-stop from 14-years-old until I was 21,
in every part of the fashion industry. So I understood the processes extremely well. The DNA part comes pretty easily, it gets perfected over time. If your brand is your true self, you can’t really manipulate it, it comes naturally! Regarding the lessons I’ve learnt, there’s been so many, of course because I had to discover all aspects of how a company is run, from accounting and HR to finance, none of which I had studied. The main lesson was that having a brand, versus being a designer, are totally different jobs! You have to learn how to accept the fact that in the beginning, before being really structured,
the creative part of your job is the smallest part. And find pleasure in that even if it’s not always what you expect. This is if you are an independent brand, of course! Otherwise, if you don’t feel ready for it, you can always find partners to share the pain (and joy) with!

Emma Rowen Rose (Courtesy)

The label is informed by your multi-cultural background and your family. How do those traditions and influences come into the design direction?
As it influences me as a person, it instantly resonates with the brand and my designs. I adore aesthetic paradoxes and contradictions. My mom’s side is Spanish, with a super feminine, passionate, eccentric influence, whereas my dad’s side is Polish, and they’re more serious, elegant, logical, and private. This contrast and combination made me who I am today and it’s consequently what I create: fashion that is elegant yet modern, daring yet traditional, feminine yet masculine. I like to play with stereotypes and aesthetics to create my own!

The styling of your collections is always awesome too. What type of imagery do you like to look at for inspiration?
Thank you! I don’t hunt for anything specific but I am always aware of my surroundings and I catch inspiration almost unconsciously all the time. But I think vintage references in general are what inspire me the most: in art, fashion, architecture, music, and cinema. But I like to bring these inspirations into a 2023 modernity.

 

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Who is the ideal Rowen Rose muse?
A woman who is not afraid to never go unnoticed and who is proud of her uniqueness while keeping her elegance. She dresses for herself in order to stand out beautifully.

What have been some big moments for the brand so far?
Dressing celebrities is always a memorable moment! I remember being so moved by Beyoncé’s post, for instance. Or our first ELLE magazine cover…but what feels the best, I think, is every time a client tags us in a post wearing our pieces in their daily life.

Any other celebrity fans we would know?
Many influencers! Like Emili Sindlev, Ola Farahat, Bettina Looney, then there was Elsa Hosk, Camille Razat, and Coco Rocha. They’ve worn our brand enough to call them little fans maybe! Others who I won’t call fans yet—but hopefully someday—that we have dressed are Kylie Jenner, Dua Lipa, Hailey Bieber, Ariana Grande, Kristen Stewart, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Alba, Kate Hudson, and Lily Collins.

Wow! What are you working on at the moment?
So many things! We just presented Pre-Fall ’23, we’re currently working on shipping Spring Summer ’23 production, and we’re showing Fall Winter ’23 in a few weeks in Paris, while preparing the Pre-Spring ’24 collection. Oh, and some bridal projects as well! We can’t get bored.

 

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What do you hope 2023 brings for the brand?
We are on a good track! I just hope we keep on expanding, and growing as much as we can. We are working hard to make it happen in the greatest and fastest way possible. A bonus would be to start producing shoes and bags, but this might have to wait for 2024—I’ll keep you posted! At the moment we are focusing on our four collections per year and our capsules.

We look forward to it! What’s your biggest dream with Rowen Rose?
I’d love to see it become a proper, complete luxury brand. With a wide range of beautiful products and experiences, to express our aesthetic in as many ways as possible. Hopefully showing our collections in beautiful shows settings that would be memorable for audiences too.

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