The Rosa Dress and the Woman Who Sat Down to Stand Tall

Some garments are stitched with more than fabric. They carry a memory. A message. A stand. The Rosa Dress is one of those.

We named it after Rosa Parks for the courageous power of her presence, the unwavering strength in her choice, and the way one small act of defiance reshaped history.

On December 1st, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks took a seat on a segregated bus and refused to give it up. She was tired, yes. But not walking. She was tired of complying with injustice. That one simple act of stillness ignited the Montgomery Bus Boycott, one of the defining sparks of the American Civil Rights Movement.

But what many people don’t know is that Rosa Parks wasn’t just a tired dress maker that day. She was a trained activist. A secretary of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People). A woman who had studied nonviolent resistance and been mentored by others before her - like Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old girl who had refused to give up her seat nine months earlier. Like Septima Clark, who worked to empower Black communities through education. Rosa sat on the shoulders of many. And she did so with grace.

She once said,

“I would like to be remembered as a person who wanted to be free... so other people would also be free.”

Rosa Dress is available in earthy tones like Walnut  Brown or timeless Black Pansy. It can be layered with ease or worn as a statement on its own. It invites posture - not for display, but for self-respect.

Because rooted courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it whispers, “Enough.” Sometimes it folds its hands in its lap and lets the world listen.

In creating this dress, we weren’t just inspired by Rosa Parks as a historical figure. We were moved by what she represents: the unstoppable revolution of women who don’t wait to be invited into freedom. They carry it with them. In their steps. In their stillness. In their style.

The Rosa Dress is our tribute - not only to her, but to the generations before and after her who made space where there was none. Who taught us that resistance needs patience. And that elegance, too, can be a form of protest.

Rooted Courage is the name of our Fall Winter 2025 collection. But more than a title, it’s an invitation to remember that fashion can hold memory. That clothing can be a conversation. And that when we wear a story, we also become part of it.