ROZAE NICHOLS
Founder & Designer
is a veteran clothing designer, an edible food gardener, and a passionate vegan and ecology & animal rights advocate. For more than three decades, Rozae has designed women’s apparel with an intimate, hands-on approach.
Born and raised in Southern California, she studied and later taught Industrial Design at the Art Center of Pasadena CA., In those early years, she was soon designing packaging and textiles and eventually became head designer at a premium denim company. Her early designs combined her love of utilitarian workwear with historical & global textiles, the combination which became her prominent design aesthetic.
In the late 1980’s Rozae moved to Paris to design and launch the still beloved brand Autour Du Monde with Serge Bensimon. Years later, on returning to Los Angeles, Rozae’s work evolved towards a more fluid, refined direction. As her vision expanded, she began to explore a more feminine, dress maker’s approach, emphasizing intricately hand-crafted details, unique textiles, innovative circular bias pattern cutting and fine stitch techniques.
She began to incorporate her aesthetic with her values of socially conscious fair-trade labor that inspired her evolving purpose driven creative path. Committed to working exclusively with Los Angeles local factories, in 1992, Rozae launched her eponymous label, Rozae Nichols. It was through her close, creative working relationship within her own atelier and with local factories that she dedicated much of her time working side by side with sewers and hand stitchers as they honed their craft. Rozae’s process and relationship with her local community became the very essence of her designs.
Her label, Rozae Nichols, was well known and embraced for the intricate details and craft which she had already spent more than a decade developing. Reaching international acclaim, her collections were sold at premiere retailers such as Harvey Nichols, Browns & Liberty of London, L’Eclaireur & La Bon Marche of Paris, Saks & Barneys New York, Louisa Via Roma-Italy, Joyce of Hong Kong, United Arrows Japan and several more. Her designs attracted celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Helena Christensen, Arianna Huffington, Kate Hudson, Beyoncé, Natalie Portman and renowned artists.
In 2010, Rozae launched the diffusion brand Clover Canyon for which she was creative director and co-owner. The brand was a vibrant collection well known and coveted for its vivid prints and for her evolving commitment to her passionate vegan ethics including the brand’s animal friendly shoes. An international success with all of her previous retailers, Clover Canyon captured the hearts of a loyal A-list celebrity clientele including Elizabeth Moss, Beyonce, Sholange Knowles, Olivia Wilde, Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama from whom Rozae was invited to the White House to be celebrated with and among an intimate group of American designers whose designs & collections were exclusively created for and worn by The First Lady.
But it is her latest iteration in design that Rozae’s passions have so succinctly culminated to express her greatest of passions - advocating for animal rights and the inextricably related harmful environmental impact from global industrial animal agriculture.
Flora Animalia is a series of focused capsule collections of utilitarian garden & workwear offerings, locally produced using only clean crop Belgian Linens & GOTS certified organic cottons. The styles are modern essentials of a simple elegance. Her design ethos and brand vision for this passion project encapsulates all that she knows & loves. Continued support from talented & thoughtful women such as Frances McDormand, Ellen DeGeneres, Laurie Anderson, Rosetta Getty, Tig Notaro and several acclaimed artists, creatives, chefs and gardeners have embraced Rozae’s vision. Her sustainable collection is created with gratitude and a sense of purpose.
ALETA CARACO
Creative Operations Manager
Aleta was born and raised in Taos New Mexico, rural in every sense. She spent her childhood years there where she, her, sister and their two loving parents lived in a community where living in a teepee, dirt roads and no running water was the norm. Their food was planted and grown on their land and animals ran free.
Her career in fashion began in New Mexico at the age of 17. Several years later after leaving New Mexico, aligned with a sense of design and culture, inherent from her youth, Aleta relocated to Stockholm Sweden where she continued her career in both fashion and interior design.
Aleta moved to Los Angeles in 2005 and began working with Italian artisanal brand, Henry Beguelin. This experience allowed her passion for design and art to cultivate further and extend into all areas of her life, where her roots of truly living off the land not only formed her sense of style, her compassion for animals, healthy living and her kind and professional work ethic; her overall way of life.
Aleta’s organic and authentic way of life aligned closely with that of Rozae Nichols, so much so that as of 2018 Aleta joined Flora Animalia in Creative Operations.
Harry Lopez
Studio Assistant
Harry is our beloved studio assistant who meets every challenge with smart solutions and generous energy- between our cutting & sewing lab to shipping to greeting and charming clients in our shop. He has worked as a counselor with middle school kids at "Beyond The Bell” after school program. And his beautiful hand writing was commissioned by an NFL player for a signature graphic. Harry's love of animals is the reason that he became vegan and relates to our mission as a voice for animals. With Harry’s adopted furry pal, Maru, his irresistible poodle, schnauzer, shitzu mixed puppy- these two are an absolute beloved duo here at Flora Animalia and beyond. He enjoys reading philosophically rooted literature, possesses an in-depth knowledge & appreciation of wide & varied musical genres, art & architecture, and is a great conversationalist in subjects ranging from film, authors, the American psyche, trauma and sports. An LA native from South Central, Harry’s kind & loving spirit guides his creative passions which are embraced and nurtured by Rozae throughout the daily work routine of design and production.
STUDIO SEWING TEAM
Our sewing-cutting team consist of some of the most rare & finest sewers in Los Angeles. Ramon Ajin, Alexandro Badajos & Pablo Clementino are talented craftsmen whose years of expertise in crafting quality clothing brings technical & artisanal skills which are elemental to our garment’s quality, beauty & soul. Their heart and passion is a daily inspiration to our design process.
