First Flats, Now Bags! Rothy’s Celebrated its Expansion With a Festive Dinner

All of the dining tables and chairs at SoHo’s La Mecerie were tucked away on Tuesday night to make room for a dinner in honor of Rothy’s latest environmentally friendly endeavor, a collection of handbags.

The evening, co-hosted by Leandra Medine, Amber Valletta, and Erin Lowenberg, welcomed like guests Chloe Sevigny, Joan Smalls, Halima Aden, and Jessica Joffe to enjoy a glass of bubbly and discover the five new silhouettes displayed throughout the space. Adjacent to the DJ booth, where DJ Kilo Kish kept energy levels high, Gretchen Roehrs hand-painted mini vignettes and asked guests to share a top-of-mind statement, which she then beautifully illustrated in blue ink in a personalized takehome poster.

The brand made its debut a few years ago when they transformed single-use plastic bottles into flexible ballet flats. Now, Rothy’s is applying their 3D knit technology to handbags and sourcing materials from our oceans which are, unfortunately, littered with marine plastics. For the new collection, Rothy s blended their signature thread made of recycled plastic water bottles with marine plastic collected within 30 miles of coastlines. “We want to be a brand that does more than just have one material that’s sustainable,” Lowenberg explained. “We want the process, our manufacturing, the way that we think, and how we communicate with our customers to strengthen the value of our products.”

“Even my boyfriend was saying that he loves the new bag,” Sevigny laughed, “I guess he’s not really ‘a woman on-the-go’ but they are definitely appealing to both genders.”

“Rothy’s is the perfect marriage of fashion and activism,” Aden added, “Not only do their products protect the environment but they also are easy to maintain and keep clean.” The model was referencing the bags most brilliant feature—they are all machine-washable!

"I think everyone is more conscious and they want to be involved,” Sevigny continued. “People are always going to want to buy new shoes and bags, so you might as well try to make them better for the world we all live in.” And with a trendy printed flat or the new travel totes, Rothy’s is a perfect place to start.