Fashion people love to question each other on what designer they would choose if they could only wear one label for the rest of their lives. One name that is forever in circulation in these discussions is Simone Rocha, the London-based Irish designer who has become one of the city's most exciting exports. And it's not just me, a steadfast fan and could-be collector, throwing her name into the ring.
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Since launching her label in 2010, Rocha has become known for her hyper-feminine designs that come laced with an off-kilter energy and has thus found fans in countless celebrities including Chloë Sevigny, Billie Eilish and Paul Mescal. Her clothes are also a prime favourite of those that work in fashion. Industry folk put their money where their mouth is in offering Simone critical praise and then following through by wanting to actually wear her pieces.
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There's something about Simone and I understand why. The brand is firmly a favourite of mine. Not only does her feminine aesthetic speak to my natural inclination for the girlish and glittering, but I find her pieces to be made with an understanding on what and how women like myself want to wear clothes.
The fit is considered to accommodate proportions that designers of a similar ilk prefer to forget exist. If you're shopping the voluminous pieces then you'll find that they are generous in sizing throughout the body but the slinkier silhouettes do tend to come up a little small so be mindful when shopping her silky slips or sheer knee-length skirts. And despite how they might look on first glance (fragile and delicate) there's always a robustness to a Simone Rocha piece – they are made for life and I'm not just talking about a khaki green bomber jackets or some of the new stiff denim.
Since procuring my first piece — a black A-symmetric cotton skirt — nearly ten years ago, I've made plenty of room for Simone, usually buying her pieces in the sales, sample sales or picking up four dresses from the 2021 H&M collaboration. I can't imagine how I'd dress without her.
The thing about buying Simone is that she's carved an aesthetic niche that is often imitated but never replicated, to make it a great investment. Her aesthetic is strong which allows pieces to transcend seasons easily. Sure, there are those items that are distinct signifiers of specific collections but there's much to love from Simone that feels more overarching. You can see the same thread running through her collections, which makes them great to be mixed and matched as you see best fit. Her tulle pieces pair well with her natty knits and her puff-shouldered pieces sit perfect with her expansion into denim, while her growing selection of handbags — from ornamental pearl to practical Nylon options — are swinging on the arms of It-girls everywhere. And then there's those collaborations with Crocs and H&M that have reached inescapable (complimentary) status.
If you're ready to make an investment of your own then make a trip to Selfridges right now. There, the brand has been given its prestigious second floor atrium space to display its SS25 collection in clear focus. This edit of pieces is a particularly fruitful one with items to choose from the entire Simone Rocha playbook. A pink T-shirt laden with bows? Absolutely. Embellished denim? They've got that, alongside the runway pieces that set the hearts of the front row racing at the London Fashion Week show in September.
What would this self-confessed Simone Rocha enthusiast advise you to invest in right now? Black or white pieces with interesting texture that will slot into your wardrobe with ease to be called upon time and time again and jazz up even the most mundane selection of separates.
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