both the Boys and the
homes they were disturbing,
appeared sharply tailored
crombies; gorgeous volumes
of white tulle embroidered
with Delft china decoration;
luscious layers of wallpaper-
printed satins; sequined
silhouettes that resembled
the bloodied bodies of birds.
The models stomped atop
the worn boards in heavy,
shining brogues, metal spikes
suturing their sparkling
crowns. Like the Wrens, they
were not to be messed with.
To see the likes of Olwen
Fouéré, Jessie Buckley and
Simone Kirby appear so
strong and so beautiful on
a runway was thrilling.
“I see a lot of me in her –
our design principles are
quite similar – but she’s
looking at things from a
woman’s point of view,” says
Simone’s father. “That point
of view is very prominent,
and what makes her so
unusual – and because of her
lifestyle and her upbringing,
she has appealed to women
from eight to 80 rather than designing for a specific bracket.”
“When you see the clothes on these women, then you can
actually understand how people live in it,” Simone says. All
of the samples for the show are specially made to suit the
women who will model them, rather than having small sizes
hurriedly adjusted to fit days before the show – a decision
that speaks volumes about Rocha’s approach. “It’s wild but
some people make clothes for only one type of woman,” she
says. “But we make clothes for all different kinds of women.
And life is too short to feel constrained and uncomfortable.
You can still feel good and look amazing.”
Simone’s mother is testament to the fact. At 60, Odette is
now her daughter’s business partner (“me and Dad call her
our secret weapon”) and the proudest ambassador of her
clothes: it is rare to see her wearing anything else, and rarer
still for her not to be the best-dressed in a room. “I feel my
job is a supporting role,” she says – she has no official title,like many of Simone’s
employees. “That’s the job
I like, and I did it for John
for 30 years, too. I like to
make sure that nothing
gets lost in translation, that
Simone’s message is carried
through, right to when a
customer buys a garment.”
On set, watching Simone’s
four-year-old daughter racing
around, in miniature iterations
of her mother’s dresses, is
another reminder of Simone’s
cross-generational appeal –
and one that points to the
beginnings of a children’s line
(Eoin is also wearing an
embroidered poplin shirting;
menswear is in progress, too).
They’re a picture-perfect
family of fashion fantasy:
John designing the stores and
helping with business affairs;
Odette managing the logistics
with proud precision; Eoin
pitching in to oversee film
projects with Tyler Mitchell
or Jackie Nickerson to
celebrate a collaboration with
Moncler, or taking photos to
print on crisp white T-shirts.
“I never thought she’d make it into the business of fashion,
but she’s done a fantastic job of it,” her father smiles proudly.
“In fact, that’s one of the reasons I decided to step down from
my own brand in 2015 – because I realised she was better
than I was. So I helped her design the stores and with some
of her business structure, and now that is very much in place
I can spend more time fishing. And some day, when she starts
doing menswear, I’ll wear that. Keep it in the family.”
Everyone plays their part. Valentine, in her floral cloqué, is
just the icing on the cake – and the poster girl for a new
design chapter. “My work is about femininity, but it’s also
about contrast and history and tension,” says Simone. “That’s
something that could be really interesting to bring into
menswear... and obviously childrenswear would be adorable.”
Just as the Rocha family has, in many ways, been instrumental
in Simone’s evolution, they appear to offer a template for her
brand’s future. And it certainly looks appealing. n206“WE MAKE CLOTHES FOR ALL
DIFFERENT KINDS OF WOMEN.
AND LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO
FEEL CONSTRAINED AND
UNCOMFORTABLE. YOU CAN STILL
FEEL GOOD AND LOOK AMAZING”THIS PAGE: SIMONE WEARS DRESS, SHOES, EARRINGS, HAIR CLIP AND RINGS. ALL SIMONE ROCHA. FOR STOCKIST, ALL PAGES, SEE VOGUE INFORMATION04-20-Well-SimoneRocha_2017930.indd 206 12/02/2020 10:56