If you were to pinpoint the exact moment comfort turns into discomfort, you’d discover the mindset Simone Rocha operates from. “For me, it’s always been very stimulating, that tipping point,” Rocha says. “It’s what I’ve really been,” she pauses, “not even drawn to, but feels very natural. It feels like a comfortable place for me to be,” she adds with a laugh.
Granted, the Irish designer’s latest endeavour would be daunting to many. Instead of her studio in east London – the headquarters of her 14-year-old label – Rocha is calling from a sunlit room at Jean Paul Gaultier’s atelier, on Rue Saint-Martin in Paris. The designer sits in front of a pinboard affixed with sketches of her spring/summer ’24 haute couture collection for the brand; Rocha is the latest participant in Gaultier’s guest
