Simone Rocha

Rocha was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1986;[1] her father is fashion designer John Rocha.[2][3] She later felt that it was "inevitable" that she would follow in his career, adding that fashion was "100% part of [her] life".[2] Rocha worked at her father's studio between the ages of 13 and 18.[4] She trained at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland, and under Louise Wilson at Central Saint Martins in London.[5]

Rocha showed her graduate collection at the Tate Modern gallery,[3][6] and in London Fashion Week for the first time in 2010.[7] Her first fashion installation was in the window of Dover Street Market in London, with the company the first to stock Rocha's designs. She had an outlet within their store when it was located on Dover Street, and continues to have one within their new store in Haymarket.[3] In the early days, her lines were also stocked by Paris-based boutique Colette.[5] More recently, Rocha has opened independent stores of her own in both London and New York.[3] In her native Ireland, her only stockist is Havana in Dublin.[5]

Harper's Bazaar named Rocha their Young Designer of the Year in 2014,[2] and in 2016 she was named Womenswear Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards. Rocha's work has previously been worn by Kate Middleton and Michelle Obama.

In 2018, she collaborated with the Italian brand Moncler as part of their Genius Collection series.[8]

She is married to cinematographer Eoin McLoughlin, and they have a daughter together. They live in De Beauvoir Town, London,[5] where her design studio is also based.[4] She remains passionate about her Irish roots, and is passionate about literature, praising the work of poet Seamus Heaney and writer Donal Ryan.[3] Her favourite book as a teenager was Twenty Fragments of a Ravenous Youth by Xiaolu Guo.[9]

• Official website