How Italian Outdoors Label ROA Fuses Fashion with Function

By now it may be tough to remember a time when hiking shoes were simply tools for the trail. But just a decade ago there was basically nothing available that delivered functionality without a clunky, dorky design. It was into this void that Maurizio Quaglia, a technical footwear designer, and Luca Benini, founder of Italian culture and streetwear hub Slam Jam, launched ROA, a creative collaboration that would go to turn the humble hiking shoe into the subject of hyped drops that would—and continue to—sell out in minutes.

From hiking footwear to active apparel and performance outerwear, ROA has since established itself as an aesthetic force straddling the increasingly blurred line between fashion and the outdoors. Doing so with not just flash but premium materials, expert Italian manufacturing, and proven function.

To learn more I recently spoke with the ROA team about the genesis of the brand and what's to come yet. The senior exec requested all quotes be attributed to the brand, which I obliged, and in return they shared deep insight into their design philosophy and even a scoop on upcoming collaborations not yet announced (past collaborators include Altra, Loro Piana, Our Legacy, Stüssy, Tilak, among others). Read on for the full brand profile, covering all you need to know about ROA.

The History of ROA and Its Hybrid Design Philosophy

Launched in 2015 and named for the Forcella della Roa mountain pass in the Dolomite Mountains, ROA has carved out a brand identity that connects with hikers and urban dwellers far beyond its home in Italy. Today, the brand is still perhaps best known for its very first product, the Andreas, a hiking boot with a classic silhouette, exaggerated rubber panels, and the now familiar mountain logo.

The ROA team says it's often asked, “Are you this or are you that?” Meaning is it a fashion brand in the outdoors or an outdoor brand in fashion? But years before outdoor clothing became popular in mainstream fashion—and the term Gorpcore existed—ROA recognized the need for a shoe that could keep up with multifaceted lifestyles. Something you could hike in, bike in, and still wear to work.

“[ROA] was designed by people who didn’t think about commercially driven products–they were never thinking about fashion," the ROA representative tells me. "They just wanted a good long lasting hiking shoe that people could use for many purposes.” Fashion may not have been the driving force behind their design, but versatility and the ability to exist across worlds always was. So, in that way, ROA always been this and that.

That earnest duality embedded in ROA’s design philosophy stems from a team who walk the walk. Based in Milan, with mountains just a short train ride away, ROA’s team regularly moves between urban and outdoor settings. The brand representative described their core team to me as something really unique and a part of what’s fueling a lot of their recent success. With most of their small team in the 22-35 age range, there’s a lot of young excited energy around designing what they would want to wear themselves for these hybrid lifestyles. “Giving power and opportunity to young people, we quickly saw products that were super different,” they said.

ROA’s Italian Apparel and Shoemaking Hub

You can see this energy in the company's apparel line, which debuted in 2022 with its first women's collection later introduced in 2025. Pieces like the unique laser cut compression tank top and a sheer knit sweater designed with thicker and thinner fabric in ergonomic areas–as functional as it is beautiful. I can’t be the only “Lord of the Rings” fan out there who has always dreamed of wearing Elven armor… this sweater might be the closest (socially acceptable) thing to it.

I was also interested to know that development of the women's line involved thought beyond the "pink it and shrink it" approach you see among many larger outdoor brands. It's clear that the new collection borrows a lot of the fabrics and styles from ROA's previous apparel collections, but that the clothes are still designed from a female perspective for the female form. Interestingly, the ROA team told me that the brand is actually planning to adapt some of the more successful releases in the women's line for men in the next few seasons, a refreshing perspective that I can't say I'd expect from a more mainstream outdoor retailer.

While their offices are in Milan, ROA still has a development studio in its hometown of Civitanova Marche, a small Italian comune on the Adriatic coast. This hub has been in operation for 10 plus generations where shoemakers can source material, make molds, and create shoes, all within a two mile radius. This gives the brand the ability to prototype quickly and have hands-on quality control. (ROA's longstanding relationship with traction experts—and fellow Italians—Vibram only amplifies this ability to design and iterate with the best resources.)

How ROA Approaches Collaborations

Collaborations have been a huge part of ROA’s growth and identity since launch. Past partners have included Story Mfg., Stussy, Our Legacy, Altra, and most recently Vancouver-based designer Colin Meredith. These partnerships are driven less by trying to fill holes in the product line and more by genuine passion for another brand’s output. "It's not about solving a specific need, it’s more about what makes us feel good–it’s always a very genuine thing."

Of course, the ROA brand representative acknowledged that these projects often make them better as a company, too. With each collaboration comes an opportunity to learn and to take that knowledge into the next product they create. For example, ROA says it learned a lot from working with fellow Italian brand Loro Piana and its factory in MonteBelluna. The access they received inspired ROA to to raise the bar for their own apparel production.

Later in 2025, ROA will announce a new collaboration with Wrangler. Like the famed Kudu leather on ROA shoes, the denim on Wrangler changes and weathers with use. This has allowed representatives from the two brands to connect over shared appreciation of longevity, especially since Wrangler has long-made rugged technical apparel with natural fibers and without the use of plastic-based outerwear fabrics.

Why We Think ROA Works

To the point of trying to put the brand in a box, ROA says, “it's okay if people are confused.” Because ROA is not for everyone to understand. In fact, not catering to the mainstream sensibility has been a key driver for the brand.

I’ll be the first to say, I don’t think there are many brands that find that sweet juicy center of the fashion/function Venn diagram better than ROA. When juxtaposing purely sporty shoes and garments with more elevated pieces, sometimes the leap can feel too big, too far stretched. But when those functional pieces are designed with purely stylistic touches–like ROA’s Nightfall Medallion Andreas, with Charivari-style silver medallions that jangle over a rugged Vibram sole–it makes the leap from trail gear to streetwear feel not just allowable, but intended.

Field Mag readers know: there’s something special about functional things that are also beautiful—as long as style earns its keep.

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