I arranged to meet Lesley Merola Moya, the designer and force behind the brand, Roxie Rudolph, at the World Cup Cafe one afternoon a couple of weeks ago.
I had noticed her fabulous, boldly printed, high quality leggings at Shree Yoga one day and Suki suggested I do a story on Lesley and her Roxie Rudolph Line.
“She’s very interesting and has done so much more than just the leggings,” Suki said, “she’d be a great fit for your blog.”
Check that. When the Shree Goddesses speak, I listen.
After interviewing her husband Louis Moya a few days later ( for a piece on the UNM-Taos DMA Program, which he helped initiate), and learning she was his wife, it was apparent that kismet was at play and so I made the call.
“How are you going to know who she is?” My friend Joan asked as we sat at the counter sipping our coffees. Joan ate a croissant quickly, explaining she’d not yet had time to eat and it was already after noon.
Joan Severance is currently remodelling a home in Taos for a client, and had joined me for a quick coffee, before heading back to Houston and returning with the supplies she’d need for a few months on the job site.
“She’s a New Yorker,” I quipped. “Just look for the woman in black.”
“That’s true!” Joan laughed and just then the door opened and in walked Lesley. All dressed in black, her long black hair tipped in Manic Panic emerald-green – picking up the shade in those leggings!
A digital pattern covered the length of leg that peeked out between coat and boots, the brilliant splashes of primary colour brightened the oddly overcast day.
We soon fell into an easy conversation about life in NYC – Lesley grew up in Jersey but commuted to Manhattan first when she attended FIT and later for work, including a seven-year stint at Ann Taylor as a textile designer.
New York hipster she might appear to be on the outside, but within minutes we learned this is one talented, accomplished and super savvy business woman, who has targeted Insta-Influencers, with her cannily on point campaigns to promote her designs, which include the aforementioned leggings.
As anyone in Fashion knows, these days Instagram sells more clothes than Vogue and the Runways combined, and in fact, many designers are skipping runway shows as well as seasonal trends completely. The turn from fast to slow fashion has been a long time coming, but could not be more timely!
Roxie Rudolph AKA Lesley Merola Moya, couldn’t be happier.
“Roxie Rudolph is a slow fashion company, “ she explained. “Which means your orders are actually created for you once the order is placed.”
The company is sweatshop free and because your order is made especially for you, this cuts down on waste as there are no stocks of inventory sitting around.” She continued.
“We do not crank out cheap, disposable garments and stand by the quality of our items.”
And these items are made to last. Currently, until Lesley can source an affordable domestic manufacturer, all items and fabrics are produced in Canada.
Because Lesley is first and foremost a textile designer, the prints on these products are stunning and a total standout, which drew my attention to them that afternoon at Shree.
Once Joan left the coffee shop, Lesley turned to me with a big smile and said, “Louis is going to be amazed that I just met Joan here today.”
She went on to tell me a very sweet story about Louis and a friend (both still at Taos High School), who stopped to ask if they could help, after noticing a woman with her car stalled on the side of the highway. It was Joan and they were her good Samaritans that day, something neither of them will ever likely forget!
After an aborted photo shoot due to both Lesley and Genevieve coming down with the latest “bug”, we finally met again, one afternoon last week at Shree Yoga, where Suki and Genevieve good-naturedly donned Roxy Rudolph leggings and playfully moved from pose to (Yoga) pose, as Bill Curry snapped away. 
Lesley brought over the leggings you see here and hung out long enough for Bill to capture her (with her new haircut – bye bye Manic Panic green), as well.
Lesley’s leggings are available at Shree Yoga Taos, (so don’t fret if you forgot to pack your Yoga gear), FX18 on Bent Street, and online through the Roxie Rudolph site, which is also linked below this post.
All photographs by Bill Curry
