Rosanna Tovi started Rosie Wear with the idea to make skating clothing more fashionable and to get away from the cliche seventies dress styles. There was hardly any crossover from mainstream design into the ice skating world, so early on Rosie was creating outfits for herself and other pro skaters bridging the gap with the creation of the original faux fur blade covers, forever changing that old terry cloth blade cover look. The blade covers flew out of stock inspiring a whole line of funky skating fashions made with the faux glamour of leathers, snakeskins and furs. There was so much artistic stimulation growing up in New York City’s Soho art distric, coloring Rosie’s vision with creativity. Rosie’s theme driven ideas intertwine an edgy concept with choreography and costuming into a story on the ice and have drawn attention for their innovative nature as featured in NYC The Village Voice “Tovi brings skating as art”.
   The local urban fashion is so exciting because it is so varied; riding the subway is inspirational with so many styles in one car, from ghetto glamorous to east side ritzy and everything in between, sitting side by side. There is always a new idea after a trip on the BMT! Being in the city gives access to the latest fabrics, techniques and styles.  Rosie works easily with choreographers and directors because she is sensitive to their vision in order to bring it to life, and uses a wide variety of techniques ranging from hand dyeing, airbrushing and hand painting. The latest technique being used is creating computer graphics which can then be silk screened on to the fabric, basically creating a custom print for a completely original look. Rosie takes that one step further bringing in her dad www.ToviSciences.com who is an artist and designer in his own right to create custom contact lenses which make the eye silver, gold or with a design on the lens for a striking sci-fi look. Recently Rosie Wear has collaborated with Johann Renvall and Alberto Del Saz for works commissioned by The New York State Council for the Arts for Ice Theatre of New York. Another recent commission was working with esteemed photographer Sylvester Q to create the posed choreography and costumes for the models in The 2002 Team New York ( Countown To Gay Games IX ) promotional sports calendar. Rosie Wear also costumes local rock bands and famed hip hop dancers. Since Rosie herself is a professional skater and has performed in shows worldwide, she came to understand the importance of comfort and fit. Most designers are not athletes themselves and have little understanding of how important it is to be comfortable when doing difficult and demanding elements.Customers also can enjoy the creative environment of the showroom/warehouse itself located in an arts facility surrounded by galleries. This environment provides access to a group of like minded artists who can offer additional creative concepts, techniques and design ideas.
    Rosie Wear created a web site to research and provide fabulous items that stand out.The site features the Rosie Wear line as well as warm washable cashmere knitwear by KD Dance; Tour and Skating Company T-shirts featuring companies such as Ice Theatre of New York; skating art from around the world; Pic-Frame rollerblades; and coming soon, gorgeous skating jewelry designed exclusively for Rosie Wear by former Tiffany’s designer Yuri Dyachek. Rosie Wear is carried in exclusive shops worldwide, a favorite is Sun Valley’s Skyntights featuring distinctive boutique items such as Gia’s exquisite hand dyed fabrics alonside our own line. Rosie Wear is very excited to be a featured line in an official venue for the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City.