Simone Rocha has published a chic new tome.
The Irish designer is one of Fashion Week’s heaviest hitters. In her self-titled book, she looks at her ascension from Central Saint Martins up to cult designer status — with fans including Chloë Sevigny, Paul Mescal and Rihanna. It aspires to be a “pensive gaze into Rocha’s subversive world”.
Rocha, who launched her label in 2010, quickly settled on an aesthetic now typically her: bulbous silhouettes, floral embroidery and plenty of pearls, for collections which walk the line between the gothic and more whimsical feminine. In 2015 she opened her flagship shop on Mount Street, and 2021 saw her broaden her audience with a successful collaboration with fast fashion behemoth H&M.
The book runs, she says, “from the very beginning with my Fashion East collection after my graduation from St Martins to the year I just launched menswear and before I started my guest designer role at Jean Paul Gaultier.”
Why did she decide to make it? “I've always loved books,” she says. “I’ve collected books for years, for research, references, inspiration. So with the opportunity to make my first monograph with Rizzoli I wanted to bring together all the work I’ve put out in the last decade and share some of the process.” Any readers will gain “an insight into the design process and an exchange of ideas and conversations,” she promises.
Looking back as her label is in full swing — only last month she took over the lofty Old Bailey Central Criminal Court for a standout, co-ed collection — is a funny thing. She is most proud of “the collections and shows, telling stories each season as well the talented collaborators I’ve shared that with, and a very dedicated team.”
Other memorable show locations of Simone’s add up to far-flung and culturally spectacular map of London: from the Tate Modern and The Royal Academy of Art, to Southwark Cathedral, Alexandra Palace, St Bartholomew the Great church and the English National Ballet Mulryan Centre for Dance.
“At the time, [the shows and garments] felt very practical and pragmatic — looking back it makes me feel more emotional than that,” she says. The publication is a must for stylish bibliophiles.
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£65, simonerocha.com
