A Designer You Should Know: Rocky Clark and the Perfect Pair of Jeans

Rotondo founded Rocky Clark in 2015, while still in school at the University of Rhode Island for apparel design. He initially launched Rocky Clark as a project to educate himself on the process of building a brand. The name is derived from Joe’s middle name Rocco and the name of his childhood dog and friend, Clark. Sustainability was a core value of the designer’s initial launch, something he felt was underemphasized in his school’s curriculum. To this day, a portion of profits from Rocky Clark are redistributed to causes the founder believes in. Rocky Clark was about Joe’s vision and values as a person: a commitment to sustainability, philanthropy, and making things locally in the US.

The brand first produced totes, hats, and tees, but their signature jeans came out about a year and a half ago. The pants are slim-fit and feature a longer-than-traditional inseam of 34-36 inches, which gives them their iconic stack. As a 6’5” jeans lover who can never find the right bottoms, this feature was music to my ears. The inspiration for the jeans and the overall aesthetic of the brand was derived from musicians and athletes. Getting a Rocky Clark piece into the NBA Tunnel would be a dream for the brand, as many of the pieces were designed with exaggerated height in mind.

To put it simply, Joe’s goal is to “pay homage to the past while looking to the future.” The traditional, rigid denim certainly invokes the past, while the heather color and minimalist logo invoke a pseudo-futurism.

Joe and I had a chance to talk about contemporary design and who he looks to for inspiration in the current landscape. Jerry Lorenzo of Fear of God is of course a consistent influence, as he’s the king of stacked jeans and skinny bottom silhouettes. Of course, you gotta tip your hat to Teddy Santis and Aime Leon Dore, Ronnie Fieg of KITH, and NOAH’s Brendon Babenzien. These are just a few of the major trendsetters in the streetwear game today, so naturally, a burgeoning designer like Joe would take some inspiration from their eyes for color, evolving silhouettes, and a commitment to highlighting footwear.

There’s a lot on the horizon for Rocky Clark in 2021. They’ll be working with Smokey Vale to do some pop-ups this summer which will offer exclusive smaller goods, and they released their RE/GEN Collection only a few weeks ago. Denim may seem simple, but Rocky Clark’s immediately recognizable silhouette demonstrates how nuanced its construction can be. I for one am immensely excited to see where the brand goes next. Keep your eyes on the Rocky Clark IG and Joe’s personal to see what will happen next.