Irish-Chinese fashion designer Simone Rocha brought her newest ideas to life at the medieval church of St. Bartholomew in London during the city’s fa

shion week. The Spring 2022 Collection explores strong elements of motherhood and new beginnings and has left its followers stunned, inspired, and eager for more. 

Throughout the years, Rocha has reached many milestones, including being recognized by Vogue – one of America’s largest fashion and lifestyle magazines – and breaking fashion industry standards through the diversity of her models and the inclusivity of her designs. The Spring collection celebrates her label’s 10-year anniversary and includes her personal insights on motherhood – including the genuine hardships and difficulties of it.

From silhouettes to fabrics, the theme of motherhood appears throughout the collection in various forms. Each aspect of the collection relates to Rocha’s personal experience with giving life to and raising a daughter. Inspired by christening and communion rituals, Rocha dressed her models in lace, tulle, and broderie anglaise and crowned them with pearls. Knitwear, honeycomb designs, and delicate satin ballerinas made an appearance among the collection.

Rocha wanted to amplify and distort the proportions of the collection by designing extra-large bibs and skirts with multitudes of layers. These aspects of the collection are tokens of childhood and unapologetic femininity.

The designer explored the dark side of motherhood by incorporating night gowns and nursing bras covered with jewels into the collection. This addition conveyed the idea of sleep deprivation and twisted insomnia that mothers experience during the postnatal period. The red and black vinyl jackets worn by several models served to subvert the collection and represent the clash between the naivety and reality of motherhood. 

The collection contains hidden details that may be easy to miss, but contribute to the experience of the show as a whole. As the models walked through the church, beads clung and fabric swished – an audible ode to the joy of intimate mother-daughter relationships. White collars with scalloped edges alluded to ecclesiastical altar-cloths. The pearls that hemmed skirts and headbands referred to the impact that children have on mothers and the doll-like faces of the models brought back memories of the holy ceremony of baptism.

While Rocha’s Spring 2022 designs conform to the style of subversive femininity that the designer has made herself known for, they also provide a new insight into the world of fashion. The collection is not only a monumental accomplishment for Rocha, but also for women across the world. The theme of the collection brings awareness to the actual side of motherhood, rather than solely the beauty of it. The designs reveal the reality of femininity and the struggles it bears.

Simone Rocha’s “come-back” collection was more powerful and personal than ever before, and as London’s fashion week came to an end, connoisseurs of her work were left in awe and anticipation for the next collection.

Gallery • 7 Photos

Daniele Oberrauch