JUDGE SIMONE ROCHA

FASHION DESIGNER

Adored for its off-kilter romanticism, Rocha’s namesake label marked its tenth year in business with a churchlike installation with ornate screenprinted panels and Perspex roses. ‘I’m not actually that spiritual, which is funny because I grew up in Ireland, but it is something I love exploring,’ says Rocha. ‘I feel proud of getting to ten years. It’s as if a volume of a book has closed and I’m now on volume two. It’s a good feeling.’ Our Design Awards celebrate the places and products that have lifted our spirits, including Francis Kéré’s Slak campus (opposite): ‘It looked incredible; I loved how it was integrated into the landscape sustainably.’ As a judge, Rocha relished the chance to explore different kinds of making. ‘I loved that everything nominated felt very unexpected,’ she says. ‘It also really highlighted the times we have been living through. The things I enjoyed were all set within nature and the landscape.’ Such as the Space of Mind cabin (page 110), which reminded her of ‘these ancient structures that are dotted across Ireland’.