The humble CBD and THC store has become a fixture on high streets globally in the last few years — often sad, hollow places that look like they've been assembled overnight purely to capitalize on the relatively recent craze for hemp delights. Why go outside when you can buy online anyway? Especially when aesthetically inclined brands such as Rose Delights exist.
Unlike a lot of names out there, Rose distinguishes itself through an ingredient-driven approach to its sweets and treats. The secret sauce lies in the use of single-strain flower rosin, which is meticulously pressed in-house. They don't want to mask the plant’s flavor, but find beauty in it, using novel methods to incorporate seasonal fruits from local farmers into their recipes.
Cubed like dainty Turkish Delights, some of the flavor profiles are astounding: take the mezcal poached pear, or the kiwi, Oro Blanco grapefruit, and celery (!) concoction that was dreamed up by NYC pastry master Natasha Pickowicz. Michelin star chef Enrique Olvera and Brain Dead's Kyle NG are but a couple of the other familiar names to have worked with the label.
The edibles are tasty, but so too is the packaging and branding. Seriously, some of these could pass as classic vinyl covers. Bang back some candies and lose yourself staring at it for 20 minutes.
For its first apparel collection, Rose has readied a pruning jacket, some pants, and a grow room coverall. These were entrusted to close Friend Mona Al-Shaalan, whose CV includes stints at Givenchy, Yeezy, and The North Face Black Series. The approach was simple and didn't stray too far from their method of working in the kitchen: they design it all themselves and ensured each piece unique purpose. It's for the modern gardener, sure, but equally attuned to the urban dweller thanks to a weather repellent, dry wax finish. It looks dope — almost like a cross between old-school Carhartt WIP and A.P.C.
"You see a lot of workwear on the market, especially here in California, but I always thought of it as too generic," says Al-Shaalan. "I missed high-quality materials and trims as well as interesting silhouettes and fits. I wanted to design grow clothes that aren’t only functional but also season-less and most importantly ageless. We work with a lot of growers from ages 20 to 70 and I wanted to make sure those garments can be worn for a lifetime by multiple generations."
Al-Shaalan's words are echoed by co-founder Nathan Cozzolino, who fully concedes the almost Pavlovian need for any new brand to put out merch these days. Making something built to last was just as important to him as the fact it had to look good.
"The larger brands in cannabis send it out to third-party factories (the same factories that design/make concert tees) to crank out in high volume - similar to how they approach their cannabis products," he explains. "Some of them sell $8 million per year worth of logo hoodies and you end up seeing a 14-year-old at Mountain View skate park wearing the hoodie of his father‘s favorite California weed brand. We considered the physical demands of working in agriculture and I think [Al-Shaalan] imagined what she wanted to see on bodies in grow rooms surrounded by hundreds of plants and in the context of lush, wild outdoor cannabis and produce farms.”
Rose Delights is already making waves when it comes to gummies. Expect to hear a lot more of them when it comes to clothing in the future.
Find out more about the capsule at Rose Delights.
