On a recent visit to Dover Street Market in London, a true blood retail
mecca of eclectic fashion visionaries, it was Simone Rocha’s collection on
the ground floor, situated amongst a flurry of Comme des Garcons brands and
a ‘bird’s nest perfume tower’ that grabbed one’s attention. At the iconic
store’s Haymarket opening earlier this year her collection was displayed
inside a clear Perspex room, an apt choice for the young designer, as hers
became the unmissable focal point of the room.
To say Rocha has arrived, is an understatement. In the six years since her
graduation from Central Saint Martins in 2010, Rocha been one of the most
fascinating and consistent designers to come out of the cocoon of emerging
British talent and blossom into a visionary all her own, and it is no
coincidence her brand is stocked in the most fashion forward retailers
around the globe.
Rocha was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1986, the only daughter of John and
Odette Rocha, the former also a stalwart of London Fashion Week in the
nineties. But whereas John Rocha took the route from luxury to high street,
Simone has kept her label small, organically growing her business, but
never stepping too long into the mainstream of fashion’s more obvious
channels, like celebrity or overt public relations. In 2008 she graduated
with a BA in Fashion from The National College of Art and Design in Dublin
before coming to London to do an MA in fashion.
Whereas her father successfully carved a niche for himself with traditional
crafting, beading and appliquée to garments, Simone’s touch is more
minimal, shaper perhaps, but equally mesmerising and contemporary. Her
collection last winter featured tapestry and tulle, tweed and lace, a
balance of intricacies and dark romance, a theme that was also relevant in
her current AW16 collection, which according to her show notes was
‘tailored tulle, tinsel tweed, female form, adorn, adorned.’ In terms of
fashion, this translated into double-breasted coat dresses, rough,
artisanal tweeds, and detailing such as over-sized pockets. Handy, if you
consider Rocha had just given birth and those pockets could be filled with
a new mother’s multitude of necessities.
At London Fashion Week on Saturday Rocha showed her spring summer ’17
collection at the gothic Southwark Cathedral in London. The first ten exits
featured only white dresses, some in fine lace that appeared to be
unraveling, some in her signature broderie anglaise, where you wondered if
they were meant to be ceremonial or erotic, such was the undertone.
Elsewhere there were layered florals, semi-transparent sheers and
loose-fitting silhouettes. Maiden dresses made for work: “hard working
days,” said the show notes, as did “coming home,” and citing Jackie
Nickerson’s photographic essay ‘Farm’ as an influence. “It was all these
beautiful Victorian Catholic paintings, mixed with textiles from workers on
the farm. There was poetry from the old masters, but I wanted to ground it
with a utilitarian, or uniform, feel,” Rocha told Vogue.
The complexities of Rocha’s collections are precisely what is celebrated
about this designer. Her accolades certainly aren’t few. Rocha was crowned
the prestigious Emerging Designer British Fashion Award in 2013, the same
year she won Best Future Fashion Wallpaper* Award. She was a finalist in
the inaugural LVMH prize, and won Young Designer of the Year at The
Harper’s Women of the Year Awards 2014 as well as the 2014 British Fashion
Award for New Establishment Designer.
John Rocha once told the Irish Mirror: “I’m very pleased as her father, for
my daughter Simone to be able to stand her own ground and be countable for
herself. Nobody expected how phenomenally successful she would become. She
is so successful in the whole world. She believes in herself and she is
true to who she is and she has captured people’s imagination. The only
advice I keep giving her is ‘darling just be careful. This will not go on
forever. Enjoy it while you can and be prepared to be able to handle it
when it turns.”
Sounds like the best advice a designer could receive.
Photo credit: Simone Rocha SS17 catwalkpictures.com, Simone Rocha Mount
Street boutique