

Working closely with Indonesian Basket Weavers
Rochelle Gregory (founder & Designer of Rocky Rafaela) first discovered smocking & weaving in ubud on a research trip. Gregory was pulled towards the art markets where she discovered pure talent in the balinese women crafting away with bamboo making these incredible hand weaved buckets, Mesmerised by the skills she quickly started working together and sampling materials and creating these textures with using leather and silk. Rochelle experimented with other hand techniques including smocking which is a hand sewn technique using needle and thread to create texture within the material. The smocking design is seen throughout our latest collection The Rebirth.
The birth of Rocky Rafaela
In 2016, fashion label Rocky Rafaela was founded by born creative and show-stopping designer Rochelle Gregory. Straight out of fashion school Rochelle created her baby Rocky Rafaela. With no business background, just a young girl with a strong vision, uncapped creative energy and huge determination. The brand quickly started turning heads due to its uniqueness and stylists starting dressing celebrities and the elite around the globe.
Rochelle tells her personal stories and mental health battles through art and fashion, she is inspired by her hypersensitivity to her emotions and uses her experiences as fuel to create beauty. The label comes from humble beginnings and a fierce passion for creating bold, unique and authentic clothing, and is now a well-established, unique and ethically-sourced brand adored by the most stylish elites around the world.
This is a brand with an attitude that says "I am unstoppable". RR focuses on making women feel their best self and finding their inner wolf within.
Rochelle is very much a true expression of her brand. She continues to use her battles with mental health as inspiration, refuses to compromise, creates very intricate and truly unique pieces that tell a deep story. Both Rochelle and the Rocky Rafaela brand share an energy, are truly unique, confident, passionate and are ready to share it with the world.
