What is the woman from Hamburg doing in Bavaria?

My idea of a modern traditional skirt that I could wear anywhere didn’t exist yet. Now many people wear it, and I have a successful small business and a great team. I hadn’t planned it that way…

Portrait von Caroline Lauenstein sitzend und lachend in die Kamera

My name is Caroline Lauenstein, I am a trained make-up artist and originally worked in theater. The fact that I now make skirts is thanks to a gift from my mother: when I moved to Ammersee in Upper Bavaria with my husband and our three children, she had a dirndl tailor-made for me—from then on, I was captivated by the colors, quality, and variety of dirndl fabrics.

There were far too few occasions to wear my beautiful dirndl. But I wanted to be able to wear traditional fabrics in everyday life, so I imagined a skirt that could withstand the daily demands of having three small children.

So I set to work. The first skirts were made on my sewing machine. I sewed them to suit my taste and figure – and the result was the first ROCKMACHERIN skirt: a wide yoke so that the pleats start below the hip area (flattering ;-)), with buttons on the sides. I was able to indulge not only in different materials such as loden, silk, and linen, but also in patterns, and I enjoyed finding special buttons and putting together harmonious colors to suit my taste, as well as creating my own patterns.

Das Ergebnis war eine neue, sehr weibliche Version des Trachtenrockes, hochwertig in Material und Verarbeitung – ein Lieblingsstück mit der einzigartigen Mischung aus Tradition und Moderne. Ich habe ihn eigentlich fast überall getragen: Zum Hundespaziergang und beim Wandern genauso wie auf Festen, einem Businesstermin oder ins Theater. Je nachdem wie man ihn stylt passt er super.

Freundinnen und Bekannte waren so begeistert, dass ich sie bereitwillig mit Röcken versorgte – zu Beginn. Denn 2013 präsentierte ich meine ersten selbst genähten Exemplare auf dem Textilmarkt in Benediktbeuern, was sich als Startschuss zum heutigen Unternehmen ROCKMACHERIN herausstellte. Völlig überraschend fragte damals nämlich das erste Modegeschäft an, ob ich eine ganze Kollektion erstellen würde. So hat es damals angefangen.

Weil sich die Röcke keineswegs nur als Tracht festlegen lassen, halten sie allmählich auch erfolgreich in Modegeschäften Einzug. Inzwischen weiß ich genau, dass jede Frau mit einem ROCKMACHERIN-Rock überall genau richtig angezogen ist – auch in Hamburg.

The result was a new, very feminine version of the traditional skirt, made from high-quality materials and with excellent workmanship—a favorite piece with a unique blend of tradition and modernity. I wore it almost everywhere: when walking the dog and hiking, as well as at parties, business meetings, and the theater. Depending on how you style it, it fits perfectly.

My friends and acquaintances were so enthusiastic that I willingly supplied them with skirts – at first. Because in 2013, I presented my first self-sewn pieces at the textile market in Benediktbeuern, which turned out to be the starting signal for today’s company ROCKMACHERIN. Completely out of the blue, the first fashion store asked me if I would create an entire collection. That’s how it all started.

Because the skirts are by no means limited to traditional costumes, they are gradually finding their way into fashion stores. I now know for sure that every woman wearing a ROCKMACHERIN skirt is dressed just right everywhere—even in Hamburg.

Back to overview