SOMA Magazine SOMA Fall Fashion Issue Oct 15 | Page 26

Hand Signals

Rozae Nichols
TEXT BY KARENA AKHAVEIN

Fashion designer Rozae Nichols, who grew up in Los Angeles
and still lives here after a stint in Paris working for legendary
French visionary Serge Bensimon, believes strongly in her California roots. This has forged her insistence on producing garments locally, in a sustainable and responsible fashion.
Nichols started out as a fine artist and graphic designer, and
has mentioned in interviews that she would be an industrial
designer had she not gone into fashion. These facts make absolute sense to anyone familiar with the artful prints and masterful
forms of her designs for “it-brand” Clover Canyon. Launched
just a few years ago, after Nichols made the tough decision to
shutter her namesake label, the high-fashion, high-quality, yet
moderately priced Clover Canyon line quickly garnered a huge
fan base, which includes fashion maverick Solange Knowles,
actress Olivia Wilde, smart comedienne Mindy Kaling, and even
Beyoncé. Fans are drawn in by the dizzying colors, full-on originality, and the fun feel brought on by deliriously eclectic sources
of inspiration, which range from “the Brontë sisters, wandering
Haight-Ashbury or Carnaby Street,” to geometrically painted
Ndebele village houses, and even the psychedelic glamour of
the erstwhile Pike amusement park in Long Beach, CA. Also,
Clover Canyon’s popular Instagram feed is a testament to Rozae
Nichols’ never-ending sources of inspiration and to their ultimate expression.
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Where did you get the name Clover Canyon? What does
it mean for you?
I live i