OUR STORY

ROSA QUAY®

2013  The Founding Five

ROSA QUAY® began in the UK in 2013, when five friends met and stayed close. We came together across cultures and disciplines, but shared the same instinct: a preference for work done properly, and a respect for craft and detail.

In time, that instinct became a method. ROSA QUAY® is built on curation with context: long-term partnerships, traceable provenance, and editorial themes that shape what we select—and why.
Curation, editorial, and events—held to one standard.

2014–2015  Exploration

Before ROSA QUAY® had a name, it had a rhythm: constant exchange. We learned from one another through daily life, conversation, and the places we each came from.

Between 2014 and 2015, we travelled together to each other’s hometowns. Familiar streets, harbours, local rituals—each place giving the others sharper context. It left us with a lasting view: taste isn’t performed; it’s lived into.

2016–2019  Building the Craft

From 2016 to 2019, we focused on our respective fields—learning, refining, and raising the bar. Those years clarified what would later define ROSA QUAY®: creativity with substance, and objects worth living with.

During this period, a small curated shop began to take form. It started with simple principles: choose with intention, keep the bar high, and value construction, material integrity, and quiet precision. We favoured well-made releases and deeper relationships—working with makers we could return to, and materials we could stand behind. That shop became the prototype of ROSA QUAY®.

2019–2023  Studios and a Platform

As our work matured, each of us built in different directions—through studios and deeper specialisation—while staying aligned in values.

We collaborate closely with partner studios founded by members of the founding team. Great Tengu® is a Japan-focused culture studio, led by Mr. Hikawa Makoto, working across art, folklore, and archival preservation—acting as a torii: a gateway between tradition and the present, and between East and West. Negation Normal Form® (NNF) is a British clothing brand that treats “normal” as a default to be examined, then rewritten—expressed through garments, visual language, and experiences.

In parallel, the curated shop continued to grow online—widening access without lowering the standard. Over these years, ROSA QUAY® evolved from a single shop into a platform where products, editorial work, and collaborations are organised by theme—each chapter a point of view made tangible.

2024  Reunited

In 2024, the five founders came together again. Time apart did not dilute the original values; it clarified them. By then, ROSA QUAY® had also grown beyond the founding five—supported by a wider team and an expanding network of collaborators.

2025  The Next Chapter

In January 2025, the five founders returned to their respective cities and studios to focus on individual development. Victor Livy, one of the original founders and the driving force behind the first curated shop, continues to lead ROSA QUAY® into its next chapter.

Today, ROSA QUAY® is run by the original core team of the curated shop and remains in close collaboration with the studios founded by the founding five—bringing independent visions together under a shared standard.

Going forward, we are placing greater emphasis on events—not as add-ons, but as an extension of curation: a way to gather, to test ideas in real space, and to let culture move through conversation, not only objects. In 2026, ROSA QUAY® will sponsor an international open-call photography competition with our partners.

The Meaning of ROSA QUAY®

The name reflects our origin and our intent. Quay is a harbour: a place to gather, connect, and set out again. Rosa suggests warmth and romance—beauty with a human tone.

The name was inspired by the quay in the UK where we first spent time together. It also mirrors our backgrounds: each of us comes from places shaped by harbours. ROSA QUAY® carries that idea forward—culture in motion, grounded by craft.

Let ROSA QUAY® be your starting point for discovering what you’ll love next.

Editorial Note: This article was edited by the ROSA QUAY Editorial Team and compiled based on an interview with co-founder Victor Livy (Feb 11, 2025).

Last updated: Jan 4, 2026.