For his womenswear collection for Spring/Summer 2013, Hong Kong-born and Ireland-based fashion designer John Rocha presented an elegant exercise on balancing shapes, angles, and portrayals of the female body through exquisite and original silhouettes that captivated those who gathered to watch his runway show during London Fashion Week on 15 September 2012.
The shapes chosen for the collection were sculpted in structured volumes inspired by late-Victorian and Edwardian dresses, and the works of artists such as Andy Goldsworthy and Richard Serra. To make this inspiration material, laser-cut surfaces were worked in three-dimensional embellishments, and appliquéd patchworks and ruffles of picot lace were added to garments. In addition, coats and short jackets in tailored organza added balance to voluminous bulbous-shaped dresses and multi-layered skirts where seemingly rough hand-knit wools contrasted with the sheer fabrics that covered them.
Inspired by the time spent in Chateau Lacoste, a vineyard and arts centre in the South of France, the collection was coloured with the light of Provence in the form of pale yellow, sky blue, rose pink and scarlet, in addition to Rocha’s signature black and cream. Tints and hues were realised in layers of silk organza, chiffon summer brocades, and guipure and cobweb laces.
John Rocha was named Designer of the Year at the 1993 British Fashion Awards, has produced a successful line for British department store chain Debenhams, and opened a flagship store in London’s Dover Street in 2006. In addition to selling in Ireland and the UK, his designs can be found in stockists in Australia, China, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, Kazakistan, Korea, Russia, and Switzerland.
