Influencer Rocky Barnes Curates Latest Bloomingdale’s Pop-up
For Rocky Barnes, her brand, The Bright Side, has all the same earmarks as motherhood.
The influencer and fashion blogger created the collection of comfortable and fun separates for men, women and children last December, and said it is “very similar to being a parent. I love it, but it’s very stressful,” she said. “It’s like having a second baby. I’ve done a lot of capsules and you just come in, do your thing and leave. I have so much more respect now for the designers I work with.”
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Barnes knows a lot about motherhood. She and her husband Matt Cooper are parents to 19-month-old Jones, who she said is “full of energy” and “obsessed with cooking — he’s abnormally tall and just keeps reaching for all the pans. It’s scary but he keeps me motivated.”
Something else that is keeping her motivated these days is her partnership with Bloomingdale’s. The department store tapped Barnes for the latest iteration of its Carousel rotating pop-up concept.
“I am so excited to partner with The Carousel at Bloomingdale’s to curate the Happy Campers pop-up and have The Bright Side be part of the assortment,” Barnes said. “I have shopped at Bloomingdale’s as long as I can remember, and it’s always been a place for me to discover new brands and find classic favorites. Curating this pop-up in partnership with Bloomingdale’s was so much fun. I wanted to focus on bringing in different textures, fabrics and thoughtful details, in addition to mixing patterns, fun pops of colors and cozy textures.”
She worked with the merchandising team on Happy Campers to curate an eclectic assortment of men’s and women’s apparel, beauty, home and children’s products, including exclusive pieces from The Bright Side.
Barnes is also featured in the campaign imagery for the shop that will remain open through Nov. 1 at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street flagship and online.
Happy Campers is intended to lure customers to the outdoors and features women’s and children’s products from The Bright Side including pullover sets, priced at $148 to $180; striped intarsia sweaters, $180; exclusive unisex checkered cardigan robes, $268, and unisex PJ sets in mushroom prints for $198, the latter of which she said is “a real crowd pleaser.”
Barnes also put together a list of “the designers I’m obsessed with” and tapped some of her friends and favorites for the shop including ByChari x Rocky necklaces, $115 to $135; as well as The Arrivals coats, $465 to $1,190; Marc Jacobs mini traveler totes, $225, and Brother Vellies hiking boots, $795. Other brands within the fashion and accessories assortment include AGolde, Birkenstock, Ganni, IRO, Loewe, Mother, Musier, Nanushka, Rag & Bone, Rains, Snowpeak, Staud, The North Face and Bloomie’s, the retailer’s recently relaunched namesake brand. Additions to the assortment include Hoff, The Rad Black Kids, Asweets, East Fork, Bolé Road Textiles, Rumpl and Anchored Northwest.
“In the past year, there’s been a reignited passion for embracing the outdoors and Happy Campers translates this excitement into a special shopping experience with unique finds for our customers to discover,” said Frank Berman, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Bloomingdale’s. “The curation has an assortment our customers will enjoy as they spend time in the outdoors with family and friends.”
So will Barnes and her family be embracing the camping craze anytime soon? “My husband was born and raised in New York, so he’s not much of a camper,” she said with a laugh. “I’m from California [and spent a lot more time outdoors], so Jones will probably land somewhere in between and be a glamper.”
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