An exhibition curated by Aparterre for
Bucharest Design Fest 2026.
Simone Rocha asserts herself as a powerful voice at the intersection of fashion, installation, and contemporary art.
Her exhibitions are not just presentation settings but immersive worlds where garments take on symbolic meanings of memory, body, and identity. They breathe, tell stories, are tactile. Before them, the viewer no longer sees an object, but steps into a story — a map of intimacy.
“Stay true to yourselves.”
Known for her delicate, romantic aesthetic, she effortlessly weaves pearls and floral motifs with sculptural tailoring, bold volumes, and punk accents. Tulle, organza, fine embroidery, ribbons, controlled transparency — materials that seem fragile — gain unexpected strength in her hands. The result is a layered femininity: gentle yet restless, luminous yet subversive, shaping a much broader visual discourse.
In her studio, her sketches feel like the beginning of a poem, and the pieces become an exercise of volume. Garments do not simply „sit”; they inhabit the space, becoming markers of an identity. The viewer moves through an emotional map where ornaments don’t conceal but reveal; delicacy doesn’t weaken but protects.
“Sculpture is often my starting point. I like to explore shape in fashion through unexpected proportions and playful gestures, always searching for the unexpected and creating some-thing that carries a memory.”
She conceives her collections as letters to multiple generations. The casting in her shows opens conversations about age, vulnerability, and strength — about how the body carries and transforms the story of clothes. Between a ruffled collar and a metal buckle, between a flower and a punk detail, a bridge forms between tradition and innovation, between intimacy and public defiance. Her creations move beyond fashion’s conventional boundaries, entering the realm of art. In Simone Rocha’s universe, femininity is not just a label but a living map of history, resulting in a new, unmistakable language in fashion.
Born in Dublin, Ireland, Simone Rocha earned a BA in Fashion at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, then in 2010 completed an MA in Fashion at the prestigious Central Saint Martins in London, debuting that same year at London Fashion Week. Since then, her label has evolved into an internationally acclaimed and award- winning brand, with distinc-tions including Harper’s Bazaar Designer of Year Award (2016) as well as Fashion Awards for “Emerging Talent, Ready-to-Wear” (2013), “The New Establishment Award” (2014) “Brit-ish Womenswear Designer Award” (2016) “Independent British Brand” in 2021 and most recently “British Womenswear Designer Award” (2024).
“My collections can move from the Tudor period to the present day, yet I like them to feel untethered from time, as though they exist within worlds of their own.”
