This Legacy of Flipper’s Is Being Kept Alive Through Clot…

Imagine a place that hosted children’s birthday parties in the daytime and Prince concerts in the evening. In the ‘80s, this wasn’t a figment of imagination. It was real. It was located in West Hollywood on Santa Monica Boulevard and La Cienega. It was called Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace.

Flipper’s was founded by British radio producer Ian “Flipper” Ross in 1979. Ross was inspired by a story he read in the paper about kids in New York City trekking to skating rinks in downtown Brooklyn. Once he explored it for himself, he knew that he wanted to bring that energy to the City of Angels. The skating rink instantly became a community hub for all walks of life, from local skaters to some of the biggest celebrities in the world. Actress Jaclyn Smith once called it “Studio 54 on wheels.”

The Flipper’s flame burned fast and bright. It closed its doors in 1981, just three years after it opened, but the legacy of Flipper’s has lived on through the memories and stories that so many of its visitors cherished. Ross’ daughter and super model-turned-entrepreneur Liberty Ross resurrected the concept in 2021.

“I moved back [to Los Angeles] when I was 24. Every single day, 20 years later, I’ve met people that tell me the most incredible stories about the times that they had at Flipper’s,” Liberty tells Complex. “The stories were all so kind of extreme and bizarre. You wonder how on Earth they could all have happened under one roof. Those people have inspired this whole new journey that I’ve embarked on.”

The revival started out with a coffee table book filled with archival imagery to honor the establishment. Pop-up rinks at New York City’s Rockefeller Center ice rink, London, and the Las Vegas strip followed. Usher wore special Flipper’s skates during his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. The brand is even the badge sponsor of the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury. Now, Flipper’s is entering its latest chapter with the release of its first apparel collection.

Releasing exclusively through Dover Street Market Los Angeles and the Flipper’s web store on Sept. 4, the lineup will include sportswear like nylon windbreakers and mesh jerseys, tees and hoodies featuring archival Flipper’s imagery, and statement pieces like bombers covered in all-over newspaper prints. New drops will follow every two weeks through January 2026.

We spoke with Ross about the importance of the Flipper’s legacy, the debut collection, what’s in store for the future, and more.

What inspired you to bring back Flipper’s and keep its legacy going?
It was really all those people that I met when I came back [to Los Angeles] 20 years ago. All these people that I bump into daily, whether it’s James Perse or a father pushing his hid kid on a swing or something. I’ve met so many people in all different walks of life that all have a story about Flipper’s. When I put the book out with Dover Street Market in 2021, people started reaching out like, “Hey, do you want to reopen Flipper’s?” So, the first rink we did was at Rockefeller Center. We flipped their iconic ice rink into roller skating for two summers. 

Then, we did a flagship rink in London for two years. Most recently, we moved to the Vegas strip. But it was really just that feeling of joy, community, and inclusivity. To me, the world needs more of that. We need to build these community-driven spaces. I read so many articles of how people are so isolated and lonely. I feel like we need to bring people together again. The beauty of roller skating is you have to be very present and in the moment. Otherwise, you’re going to fall down. So yeah, it’s just my little way of sparking a bit of joy into the world.

The newest layer of the return of Flipper’s is the clothing line. Why did it feel like the right time to enter that space?
What I discovered through this journey and being so close to the community, there’s never been a skate apparel line. There’s never been somebody that’s designed clothing with them in mind. I have a lot of skaters who come up to me that are like, “Oh my God, we need this.” We’ve always had merch. This is just stepping it up and actually creating real apparel, really cool clothes, whether you are on wheels or not. It’s been a very natural progression of Flipper’s.

To your point, I feel like streetwear, and just fashion in general, have always pulled a lot of references from skateboarding. There’s dozens, if not hundreds, of skateboarding brands. Roller skating doesn’t have that. But what do you feel like roller skating’s influence on fashion is?
I think the roller skate community are the most stylish people that I’ve ever witnessed in my life. I think this is a really exciting time to create something new. And we have the stories we can pull from and all of those graphics from when Flipper’s was founded back in 1979. It’s an exciting lane to be in, especially in the world that’s so saturated with everything. I’ve tried to put skaters on the biggest stages that I can in the world, to put skating into the zeitgeist. They’re such an incredible community that are very stylish. Skating is all about freedom and self-expression. I think we’ll be able to really develop an interesting lens to tell this through with our clothing.

What specifically about roller skaters do you find so stylish?
Roller skating is incredibly sexy. I just love watching skaters. I find them to be intoxicating. People will have light up wheels or a lot of the skaters create their own outfits. They’re just very expressive. They’ve all got their own style. That’s what’s so great about it. It’s like this sense of complete freedom. 

How have you translated that style into what we’re going to see with this first Flipper’s collection that you’re releasing?
It’s a lot of layering pieces. We have some athletic wear because you sweat on a rink, so you tend to slowly strip off layers. We have tops leggings, and compression sleeves. We’ve done some modular pieces like sweaters that come half off and you’re left with the sleeves. We’ve done super cropped bomber jackets. The community in Europe, they call it street stuff. They skate on the streets more because there aren’t any rinks there. So, we made some waterproof jackets and pants that unzip, so there’s room to go over the skates.

Do you have a favorite piece?
I love the bomber jacket. One of the prints that we’ve created is actually lifted from a 1980s news clipping of Flipper’s. I have a picture of a girl at Flipper’s in the ‘80s who had this Hot Wheels T-shirt on, so we recreated that with Flipper’s written on it instead. All of the graphics are lifted from our archive, but obviously translated in a more modern, contemporary style.

I know the first collection is releasing in waves. Can you talk a little about just what’s coming up beyond this first drop?
Every two weeks we’ll be dropping new product. There will always be new colors and new prints, which are really cool. One of my favorite pieces is actually my husband’s favorite piece. It’s a Sherpa jacket covered in a blue and black cheetah print that we made.

You’re hosting the launch party and launching the collection with Dover Street Market. You worked with them for the book as well. Dover Street Market is such a prestigious store. What does it mean to you to partner with them?
It’s such an honor. I couldn’t be more grateful to Dover Street. I was really lucky to begin our storytelling journey with them a few years ago in 2021. So, I offered them an exclusive launch with us if they were interested. I wanted to work with a store in LA and I felt like they’d be the perfect partner. They’re also very community creative driven, so I felt like it was like a match made in heaven. 

Looking ahead, how do you see Flipper’s apparel growing?
I want to get more into storytelling. I want to create a universe. I want to get into protective layers and gear. Just keep rolling. Ideally, I’d love to make outfits where everything matches down to the skates like Cher wore. She’s my ultimate skate style icon. 

Do you want to eventually reopen Flipper’s in Hollywood?
I don’t know. I really like this idea of movement. I think Flipper’s is a movement. I like this idea that we’re always rolling through the world. Honestly, five years ago, I never thought I’d be doing this. So, you just never know where life is going to take you. That’s the beauty of it all.