Roxy has appointed Stephanie Micci its first creative and design director of women’s surf and snow collections.
Prior to the new role, Micci led the Roxy team as global creative and design director; she relocated to the brand’s headquarters in the southwest of France in 2019 to join the team after being head of design for Tommy Hilfiger Sport. A Parson’s graduate, Micci also worked within the design teams at Proenza Schouler, Burberry and Calvin Klein.
Micci spoke to WWD on the future of Roxy and her goals within sustainability, community, inclusivity and more alongside the debut of the Roxy Snow 203 collection, which features Olympic snowboarding gold medalist and brand ambassador Chloe Kim.
“On a macro level, when Roxy came into being in the ’90s, before it was a hashtag or all over Instagram, Roxy was always standing for supporting and empowering women. Not just in the surf community but in all areas of life,” Micci said over Zoom, adding, “It’s been really fun to have that be the guiding light, especially growing up with Roxy. Everyone you saw in the campaigns had such a free spirit and strong sense of self.…It’s nice to really stand for authenticity and celebrate the individual.”
In her new role, Micci plans to continue pushing Roxy’s core values — community and social responsibility, inclusivity, diversity and empowerment — from the ground level up.
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Stephanie Micci Courtesy photo
“I probably sound like a broken record to my team, but at least the message is clear: doing things in a meaningful manner and also being authentic about it,” she explained. “Everything we do, we back 120 percent and want to make sure it’s something we are actually doing something about and not just talking about it.”
Within social responsibility, this means exploring the ways eco-friendly manufacturing has evolved — from fabrics to internal teams to the final product. The company has established sustainability committees within the workplace, tasking people within each team to become experts in their field at each level of the development process. From the design level, Micci’s team is also making strides to offer more ecologically responsible materials and washes at the initial stages of product development, offering designs that are stylish and sustainable for the Roxy customer.
The brand has started to roll out expanded sizing in technical categories — specifically snow and swim — and is working on developing different cuts of silhouettes within the design team. “You could have five different people who are the same size, but how they’re shaped and what’s going to fit them best will be different from a silhouette perspective,” Micci remarked. The importance of expanded sizing is a key effort to providing the Roxy customer something she can feel comfortable and confident in.
From a diversity standpoint, the brand has always been community-based. Roxy is looking into new ways to connect with the community during the isolated times due to COVID-19.
“I can’t go into depth right now, but we are definitely looking into different experiences and creating experiences around the Roxy life that attract people from all walks of life and all different types of backgrounds to participate in,” she said. “For us, different is to be celebrated. Being unique is to be celebrated.”
February also marks the debut of the Roxy Snow 203 collection, featuring campaign face Kim.
Chloe Kim for Roxy Snow 203. Courtesy photo
“We’re extremely excited to have Chloe on the team. She is a force and honestly one of the most down-to-earth, nicest people you’ll ever meet. She has absolutely no ego, she really brings an energy level and a level of integrity into everything she does. It’s not just on the half-pipe, she’s really like that in real life,” Micci said, adding that Kim’s partnership with Roxy has brought great insight into their current and future products. After wear-testing products, Kim — who is at the top of her field — offers the team valuable feedback, as well as insights and ideas during brainstorming sessions for future products.
“People like Chloe — if you just look at the athletes across the board that Roxy supports — they’re all world-class athletes and world-class human beings . They really stand for everything we stand for, which is the active component, being healthy in that way and being fearless in that way but also being a good human being and having that community synergy that we want to have,” said Micci.
Chloe Kim for Roxy Snow 203. Courtesy photo
The importance of female partnerships, whether with world-class athletes or creative collaborations, has always been important to the Roxy brand and is something Micci is looking forward to pushing in as creative and design director.
“Not to be a broken record, but it’s true: we really want to stand for and support and empower women. When we’re looking at different types of partnerships in all categories, we’re looking to align with people who have a similar value set to us,” she explained, adding, “This is a continuation of that conversation of partnering with other females leading the way in their particular arena and continuing to support each other.”
Looking at the year ahead, Micci teased an upcoming fall collaboration for sport and swim with a New York-based, American female designer. Micci also expressed the importance of the brand’s”tri-participant” collaborations. Roxy’s partnership with the Keep a Breast Foundation, in which the brand partners with artists to design products aimed at raising awareness, supports research into breast cancer.
“We’re really just taking a 360[-degree] approach to ‘What is a Roxy girl’s life, and what is important to her and what is important to making it your best life?’” Micci concluded. “That’s everything from what you wear to your physical and mental health in terms of being active and mentally healthy and supporting all of those different aspects of one’s life.”
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