On the occasion of her SS 2021 show in London, Simone Rocha isolated individual pieces from her collection to create a series of still lives photographed by Jacob Lillis. The images capture the essence of the collection which plays on some of her most intimate signatures: generous silhouettes, ethereal embroideries and pearl beadings. In 2018, the Irish-born designer collaborated with Lillis for her issue of A Magazine Curated By, documenting a celebratory team dinner at a London Chinese restaurant. Rocha’s 29-piece SS 2021 collection was presented on September 19th during London Fashion Week and is an ode to creativity in the current climate. It was accompanied by a short film directed by Rocha’s partner Eoin McLaughlin and James Coyle.
While this season’s shows took place part-digital, part-physical, Rocha created a space between the art performance and the fashion show at the Hauser & Wirth gallery with a live presentation showcasing a group of ten models. The choice of venue echoes the designer ongoing relationship with the gallery, which started for the AW 2019 season when Rocha collaborated with the Louise Bourgeois Studio on a series of prints and embroideries inspired by the artist’s fabric works. The minimalist setting of Hauser & Wirth, compared to the historic venues where the designer usually likes to host her shows, matched the contemporary considerations of going back to the essential. It gave her the opportunity to reach deep into her personal experience to produce one of her most intimate collections to date.
