Mood board: For A/W 2020, Rocha looked to the 1904 play Riders to the Sea by John Millington Synge. The play, set in the Aran Islands, captures the loss experienced by Mauyra, a grief-stricken wife and widow who loses her husband and five sons to the sea. ‘It was about birth, life and loss,’ Rocha said backstage of a collection split into three sections, like a procession of eveningwear, tailoring and knitwear that summated on the patchwork of experience, through deconstructed Aran knits which trailed from the body like nautical ropes, scallop edged nightgowns, ceremonial coats with satin bows and gauzy rose print and sacred heart embroidered dresses. ‘You can’t look at Ireland and not look at Catholicism’, she added.
Finishing touches: ‘I wanted the whole collection to be layered and tied with things taken from the sea,’ Rocha said. This meant shoppers strung from beaded pearls and macramé net bags with huge pearl clutches inside. Rocha’s signature pearl and beaded earrings were ultra long, like strings of bounty found inside shipwrecks.
Best in show: A series of bridal looks closed the collection, with models sporting ceremonial lace veils and beaded headbands. The pieces referenced a funeral procession in Riders to the Sea, but instead of imagining the looks in mourning black, Rocha opted instead for lustrous ivory. ‘Life isn’t so final, that’s why the looks aren't black,’ she concluded. An uplifting end to the third day of London Fashion Week.
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Ahead of Milan Design Week, Vincent Van Duysen gives us an exclusive tour of Palazzo MolteniMolteni’s immersive new design destination on via Manzoni is a seven-storey cultural powerhouse that extends far beyond the realm of home furnishings
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MoMA names Christophe Cherix its new directorThe Swiss-born curator has worked in the Museum of Modern Art’s drawings and prints department since 2007
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The Yale Center for British Art, Louis Kahn’s final project, glows anew after a two-year closureAfter years of restoration, a modernist jewel and a treasure trove of British artwork can be seen in a whole new light
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Inside Louis Vuitton’s Murakami London pop-up, a colourful cartoon wonderland with one-of-a-kind caféWallpaper* takes a tour of the Louis Vuitton x Murakami pop-up in London’s Soho, which celebrates the launch of a new ‘re-edition’ accessories collection spanning the greatest hits from the Japanese artist’s long-running collaboration with the house
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Get to know Issey Miyake’s innovative A-POC ABLE line as it arrives in the UKAs A-POC ABLE Issey Miyake launches in London this week, designer Yoshiyuki Miyamae gives Wallpaper* the lowdown on the experimental Issey Miyake offshoot
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Margaret Howell London Fashion Week Women's S/S 2019 -
London Fashion Week S/S 2023: Ahluwalia to Martine RoseThough slimmed-down, London Fashion Week nonetheless provided the moments of creative expression the city is known for – from Ahluwalia’s ode to Africa to Martine Rose’s much-anticipated runway return
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Discover these fashion brands at London Craft WeekDuring London Craft Week, fashion brands including Smythson, Bally and Serapian are hosting events across the capital
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London Fashion Week S/S 2022: eight important insights to know nowFashion brands are back with a bang in The Big Smoke. Here’s everything you need to know from London Fashion Week S/S 2022
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Nicholas Daley's multicultural roots celebrated in London -
London Fashion Week A/W 2021: the future of post-pandemic dressingLondon Fashion Week's first digial only-offering imagined a wardrobe for life after lockdown, by brands including Burberry, Simone Rocha and Priya Ahluwalia
