Text by Ethan Hall
Here are the notes that poetically introduce Simone Rocha's SS25 and lay the foundation for her defiant collection:
Screaming, crying, laughing, dying, flirting Lifting the curtain The show opens with the moments between perfection and progress - leading up to the performance Inspired by the carnation Carnation - A sweet-smelling flower that is often worn by men in their jackets at formal events. For example, ‘All the men wore carnations in their buttonholes’ Fear, fun, control Tinsel twinsets, embellished breasts Relationships between the sexes Exposing insecurities, seduction, deception Want to poke, want to tease, want to please'
Two core elements of this show can be drawn from this: carnations and insecurities. It comes as no surprise that a flower is a core element of the show as Rocha's fascination with flowers in her art traces back to her days at university in her BA Art class, where all she would do was draw flowers. The carnations are more of a lighthearted motif found across the show, emerging from stems behind sheer fabric out of dresses or printed or embroidered onto garments. The stand-out dress is a lime green dress with carnations embellishing the breasts enveloped by a very sheer white fabric, which evokes the image of a greenhouse.
However, in reference to the '*insecurities, seduction, deception,' Rocha gets slightly conceptual in this collection. She is overtly exposing and embellishing areas of the body, like the groin, thigh, breasts and waist. Rocha connects these two elements by using carnations to highlight other areas (than the chest of a man, where carnations are commonly placed), where carnations could be used to empower possible areas of insecurity cheekily.
Simone debuts her first denim garments in this collection: women's and men's jackets, jeans and shorts. Of course, they were all bejeweled along collars, pockets and stitching with shiny silver flowers. Rocha creates ballooned silhouettes with the denim similar to the silhouettes she creates in dresses from her previous collections. Another standout piece found across the collection is the tutus in black and pink. The tutus are styled with cascading tops and jackets so they fall like a dress, so the tutu acts as a bustle.
A few prints found through the collection are artworks that belong to Genevieve Figgis, who is an Irish artist. The most significant of which is 'Lady with a bird' from 2013, which Simone Rocha has made the profile picture for Instagram.
Notably, the bow, that was so frequently placed in many of her other collections, was sparsely seen. Perhaps the trendy interest in the ribbon bow has knocked her to venture elsewhere creatively, although it is not at a loss that the bow has disappeared. With the carnation becoming the most significant motif in this collection, Simone has delivered a lighthearted, slightly conceptual collection, once again proving that she is not afraid of trying new techniques.
