Two women coming together to create one unique line of clothing, and most importantly, some of the fabrics are recycled.
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Where does the name Rooey Knots come from?
Rooey was my (Gareth) childhood nickname. My Mom used to call me Rooey, as in little Kangaroo. When it came time to name my business I didn’t want to use my own name and there is a British designer named Gareth (Gareth Pugh). Knots was added because of the braided, woven, and knotted nature of the designs.
Where did the styles, design and inspiration come from by making these pieces?
The first headband I made that sparked the idea was made with vintage scarves. I was always a big vintage shopper and have always been inspired by vintage clothing, patterns and prints. I wove two ugly scarves that did not match but ended up looking cool together. I wore it to class and got a lot of compliments and decided to experiment further. Instead of scarves I chose to work with ties because my father was cleaning out his closet and I loved the prints and patterns of his ties.
Tell me about the tie headbands, where did this design and styling come from?
The headbands have evolved a lot over time. I started off braiding and weaving a lot of the designs but wanted to show the beauty of the patterns and prints of the ties. This led me to create some different designs. I think the headbands have a bohemian vibe with a preppy undertone. Over time, I’ve figured out which ties work best for which designs and that dictates many of the styles.
How did you create such a creative and unique line of clothing?
The black and white clothing line was inspired by the classic white button down. While I was living in Shanghai I was thinking about classic American Designs, pieces that will never go out of style. I came up with 5 design variations of the classic white button down that we call our HeiBai (pronounced Hey Bye) line. I think that we wanted something more minimal to go with the maximalist nature of the heavily colorful and printed accessories.
How did the two of you come together?
I moved home from China about a year and a half ago, ready to start Rooey Knots in America. I connected with Caitlin because I knew she had been working with a small apparel company and also heard that she had a growing fashion blog. She happened to be in job transition when we reconnected. We spent the summer selling Rooey Knots products on Martha’s Vineyard and by the start of that fall, we became business partners.
Get some of these fabulous styles here!