Irish designer Simone Rocha is back with another dreamy and otherwordly collection at London Fashion Week. The designer made her Fashion Week debut in 2010 — when she was part of Fashion East’s showcase — and since then, has risen to fame with her whimsical, intricate style. With hyper-feminine designs, that still manage to ooze grit and edginess, Rocha’s sense of modernity has resonated with the public, turning her shows into highly-anticipated affairs. Her latest Fall 2023 collection tapped into her ethereal aesthetics — heavily inspired by folk culture — to honor Celtic traditions, craftsmanship, and being “close to the earth and very grounded.”

The Collection 

For this collection, the Chinese-Irish designer looked back to her roots as inspiration. Named after the god of craftsmanship, Lughnasadh is an Irish holiday that celebrates the beginning of the harvest season. In tandem with this inspiration and unlike her previous collections, the FW23 collection explored the feeling of being close to the earth and feeling rooted. This essence could easily be felt through the rustic elements and materials that Rocha interlaced into the collection: straw, crocheted knits, lurex, and so on.

Last year, Simone Rocha also debuted her first menswear collection and this new addition was also carried onto the Fall 2023 presentation. “I started looking into the rituals of relationships, because I wanted to continue to show women and men together: how they correspond,” said the designer prior to the show. Although menswear was dominated by a darker color palette, Rocha still introduced plenty of her signature detailing — rich textures and embellishments — helping garments to retain a gender-neutral feel.

The Clothes

As Rocha intended, clothes this season held more weight with structure and textured materials. Of course, the designer played with volumes, with puffy sleeves and voluminous skirts taking over the latter half of the show. A unique texture had the audience captivated from the start as models dressed in crinkled jacquard-like fabric strutted down the red carpet laid atop Westminster’s Central Methodist Hall. 

The show then progresses into a grimmer mood with darker colors taking over. Pops of leather appeared, with a model stepping out in a dark brown jacket with Rocha’s renowned flower detailing atop the pockets. Under the jacket was a baby pink blouse with red ribbon embellishments — a decorative element that was consistently seen throughout the entire presentation. Afterward, entered in two nude slip dresses, bringing a hint of gentleness and sensuality after the parade of intense looks that opened the show. 

Onto the menswear, the chapter started off with a double-breasted coat with puffed-up sleeves and a leather kilt, setting the tone for Rocha’s flawless incorporation of menswear in this collection. The designer then sent down the runway sailor collars in different variations, including a pearly version that is already making the rounds on the internet.

Halfway through the show, a plethora of reinterpretations of the classic ballgown made their way down the catwalk. The gowns varied in length and material, some falling mid-thigh, others full-length, some made with fabrics like organza, some others in satin and silver hardware for an urban twist. Despite its many variations, all gowns retained Rocha’s charm: her ability to create wearable garments that seem taken straight out of a fairytale. Nearing the end, Rocha presented one statement look after another. With weaved raffia giving an extra ritualist feel, a notable outfit was a sheer black gown worn a top of a hoop skirt.

The Details

With Lughnasadh as a starting point of her latest collection, Simone Rocha reimagined the use of materials such as raffia, and techniques like weaving and macrame. Beyond the whimsical clothing, these materials and fabrication methods were incorporated into accessories and accent pieces. Large raffia bags, pearl collars, and bow embellishments complemented every look. Just like one might expect from a Simone Rocha show, there was no shortage of pearls via earrings, handbags, and detachable collars, as well as chunky shoes, platforms, and ballerinas.

The beauty, however, was a focal point of the collection. Building on the designer’s penchant for turning makeup into an “accessory itself,” the runway featured little ribbons hanging from the models’ hair, fixed under their eyes or even tied to their thumbs. A clear reference to pagan rituals, some of the beauty looks emulated blood dripping down the models’ cheeks with red ribbons. Meanwhile, hairstyling remained romantic and fanciful, with different iterations of curled strands at the front, juxtaposed with full sections of straight hair, and braids that channeled the weaving and macrame techniques present throughout the collection.

In all, Simone Rocha’s Fall 2023 collection displayed once again the incredible genius of the Irish designer. An amalgam of techniques, textures, and silhouettes, Rocha’s latest effort reflects her whimsical universe, not without expanding her creative range.

Interested in more fashion news? Check out EnVi’s recap of Thom Browne’s show here.

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