Rocking Gypsy Lands at Wolf & Badger – WWD

Rocking Gypsy, an emerging Los Angeles-based beach-to-street fashion label from founder and designer Claire Pinckney, is landing at Wolf & Badger. 

“They’re a retailer I have long admired. After visiting their store at the Coalyard, Kings Cross in London, around 2015, I have always followed them. I literally jumped for joy when they reached out about Rocking Gypsy,” said Pinckney. “I also love that they’ve got a store in London, which brings together my worlds of New York, L.A. and London — every tenet is coming together.”

Pinckney, who cut her teeth in the industry across buying and design positions in London and Los Angeles for 25 years and is also the creative strategist for Ruggable, debuted Rocking Gypsy and its e-commerce platform in March. Her first collection homed in on eco-friendly, versatile, breezy caftans and maxi dresses, swing dresses, and jumpsuits tie-dyed by local artisans — all for under $300.

“I started the brand because I saw a combination of opportunity and passion. There was a lot of organic, natural and eco-conscious swimwear flooding the market, but there weren’t actually any cover-ups that were of quality and eco-friendly,” said Pinckney, who only saw alternative styles in the fast-fashion or luxury categories. From the get-go, Pinckney wanted her brand to be eco-friendly, travel-minded and optimistic, with aesthetic and spiritual pillars of being a “rebel heart” (inspired by London edge); “bohemian spirit,” and “global soul” (for her love of travel).

The founder said her customers are those who love to travel and have adventures, want to be stylish but desire ease, and have a sense of wanderlust — ”not really based on demographic, but more psychographic,” she said. To add to the idea, customer shipments come with positive affirmations and emblems of her ongoing inspirations — a rose quartz for love; a stone for Earth, and a shell for the ocean.

In the future, Pinckney is looking to partner long-term with charitable organizations around ocean conservation and mental health.

Since launching, the brand has held pop-ups through Conscious market; linked with the 1 Hotel West Hollywood, and was called out as a new favorite brand by English TV personality Davina McCall on her “Making the Cut” podcast. To accompany this growth, Rocking Gypsy is debuting at Wolf & Badger this month with an assortment of Pinckney’s latest two collections: El Matador and Catalina, which expand upon her beach-to-street ethos with cover-ups, caftans and dresses with hand-wrapped trims and colorful embroideries by local artisans, as well as an assortment of fashions with soft pleats and dip-dyes in hues inspired by the ocean and moon.