SIMONE MAKES PARIS HER OWN

Stars out for Dubliner Rocha’s stylish show

IRISH designers who have shown collections at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week are few are far between.

But yesterday, Dubliner Simone Rocha, 37, joined that select group when she debuted her haute couture collection for Jean Paul Gaultier as guest designer.

And the team-up drew a starry audience including Kylie Jenner, Anna Wintour, Bella Thorne and Kelly Rutherford, with many in attendance sporting Rocha designs.

Gaultier, 71, presented his final show in 2020 and since then various designers have taken the creative helm to present their interpretation of his look, including Haider Ackermann, Olivier Rousteing and Chitose Abe.

Ms Rocha has worked previously with brands such as J Brand, Moncler and H&M – but this collaboration was at a different level.

Her collection fused her usual feminine approach with key Gaultier signatures, including lacing, corsetry, the striped marinière top, conical breasts and jaunty sailor hats. Of the opportunity to work on a Gaultier couture collection, Ms Rocha told UK Vogue: ‘To be a guest is a real gift, to identify with Mr Gaultier and his archive, and then to see what your spirit does in response is so interesting and exciting.’

She continued: ‘I wanted to make something that was attractive, provocative, playful, sensual, feminine and strong. Haute couture is historical and romantic, and even some of my collections play on these qualities, so it’s about introducing modernity, reality, an almost scientific approach to this project, to push it forward for today.’

Gaultier congratulated the Irish designer profusely at the end of the show and seemed delighted with her personal vision for his brand.