Land & Sea: The Rachel Roy & Karina Petroni Collaboration

On Saturday, I had the pleasure of meeting designer Rachel Roy and pro surfer Karina Petroni as they introduced their limited-edition footwear capsule collection for RACHEL Rachel Roy at Macy’s. The collaboration combines Petroni’s surf lifestyle with Roy’s downtown design aesthetic for a series of unique, casual-chic footwear pieces, retailing from $59 to $139.

Opposites Attract

So what motivated city girl Roy to collaborate with the bohemian, globetrotting Petroni? Roy’s face lit up when I asked this question. She loves answering it and getting this message across to fans. “I have so many styles due a month for this collection,” she said. “I want to stay motivated and inspired, and I want my customers to be inspired and see newness, so instead of choosing to work with an artist that brings to the table what I can do, I want to bring artists that can bring something to the table that I cannot do.”

Roy saw the movie The Cove, a film that exposes cruelty against dolphins in Taiji, Japan, and was inspired by Petroni’s strength in the film and how she stood up for what she believed. “She’s mastered the ocean, and I grew up next to the ocean, but I have a huge fear of it. So for me, I’m in awe of her….I went back to my team and said what can we do with her as the next artist.” And so the shoe collection evolved.

A Global Print

A fun Baja print unites each shoe in the collection. Petroni found inspiration from the places she has traveled and from her home in Panama and the local artisans. “That print is very rootsy and beachy and bohemian. And I’m a gypsy,” Petroni said.

Diverse Styles

Even though each shoe in the collection features the same print, you’ll notice that each shoe is for very different occasions. “The sneaker is such an awesome, urban, grungy feel,” said Petroni.

“As women, we wear so many different hats….We have different moods…and so those three shoes represent her [Petroni] and I both,” said Roy.

The RACHEL Rachel Roy Girl

In August 2009, Roy launched the RACHEL Rachel Roy collection, which is sold exclusively at Macy’s. “RACHEL Rachel Roy is the younger sister to my designer line,” Roy said. “My designer line is who I aspire to be. You have to keep in mind that I’m a 37-year-old woman; I have two kids. A lot of my work in my designer line is worn by Michelle Obama.” Roy went on to say that the first lady’s confidence and strength is inspiring to her, and that is who she aspires to be.

The clothing in the RACHEL Rachel Roy collection at Macy’s is cocktail and professional workwear. “You do have to make a certain amount to wear professional work attire and that’s why it’s for the older woman….But I do always say, ‘Dress for the job that you want to have.’ So when I was interning in fashion, I dressed as if I was the president of the company,” said Roy, laughing.

Roy, who said that, when she was a kid, Macy’s was the most expensive store she could ever think of shopping in, began her career in fashion with an internship at Rocawear. “I want my customers to know that you can dream outside of the possibility in which you live,” Rachel said. Today, her designer line is sold at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and Bergdorf Goodman.

Role Models

My interview with Roy and Petroni was very brief, but in the few minutes I spent talking to them, I could sense how incredibly ambitious and passionate they are about what they do. These are two smart, beautiful women, with their heads on straight, and they are setting a great example for women everywhere.

“When you’re in high school, when you’re in college, truly, if it’s possible, try to select a career that you love. It doesn’t matter about the monetary value–you’ll make that. But if you love it, just imagine waking up till the time you go to bed working on something you love….Go for what you love, whatever it is,” says Roy. Petroni followed up that statement with: “Keep your passion behind you.”

Tagged as: designer collaborations