John Rocha bids farewell to fashion

By

Florent Gilles

Published
May 14, 2014

John Rocha is stepping down from his ready-to-wear brand after a decades long career. The designer announced that his collection fall/winter 2014-2015, which he presented at London Fashion Week in February, would also be the last "despite the wonderful response” it received.

His brand will focus in the future on current long-term collaborations - in particular with the department store chain Debenhams UK, the Waterford crystal or opticians Specsavers - as well as on various "projects in architecture and interiors."

The news breaks as the famous designer’s daughter, Simone Rocha, meets resounding success in a growing number of forward-thinking shops around the world. She is now said to be the overwhelming favorite for the first LVMH Young Designer Prize, the winner of which will be announced by the end of May.

Based in Dublin, Ireland, where his daughter was born in 1986, John Rocha himself was born in Hong Kong to Chinese and Portuguese parents. In 1993, he was named "Designer of the Year" at the British Fashion Awards.