Made in Ireland, influenced by
Italy, rooted in Hong Kong: the
work of John Rocha (right) will
be among the style keynotes
when Cruise opens its coolly
urbane new premises in
Glasgow today. Among its
extensive womenswear
ranges will be Rocha's
gentle tube dresses,
long and lightly sculpting
the torso; his handsome
jackets with clever
pocket features; and
leggings with a hint
of jodhpur.
TWENTY years ago what most outsiders considered as Irish fashion
either revolved around the shawled look of Juno and the Paycock, or the
raffish cut of a Donegal tweed at Landsdowne Road. Both images were
mistakenly narrow, neglecting the fact that a certain romantic
classicism had always been a trait in celtic style.
But it wasn't until Armani and Kenzo came along that the world
recognised that tweed could be shaped in unexpected ways. Today the best
designers in Dublin have embraced this international challenge, breaking
free of any inhibition about using the native cloth only according to
traditional rules.
Yet no matter how creative
a designer in Ireland may be,
there is one inescapable problem: the difficulty in obtaining
significant financial backing when starting out.
As in Scotland, even the
best young talent is confronted by great problems in gaining help from
the various state bodies which offer financial
incentives, and -- simply because of the size of the population --
there is still only a small market, however enthusiastic, for clothes of
innovative line.
John Rocha's career is proof that fashion is as merciless for the
acclaimed as for the beginner. His dilemma, during the late eighties,
sprang from his very success as an arbiter of winsome chic, producing
long, floaty dresses in pale, delicate linens beneath tail coats and
panelled jackets of masterly cut. But at the time demand far exceeded
John's ability to deliver, so his very gift was driving him into the
classic ragtrade trap.
To solve the nightmare he was forced to close his Chinatown shop in
Dublin, and seek a more practical means of designing abroad.
In a sense, such get-up-and-go was second nature. Born in Hong Kong of
a Chinese mother and a Portuguese father, Rocha had arrived in Britain
when he was 18 to study fashion at Croydon Art College. In his degree
show he specialised in Irish fabrics and as a result he found himself
domiciled in Dublin, from where he worked in close conjunction with the
more imaginative Irish mills.
But by 1988, with his Chinatown in turmoil, he was on the move again.
Accompanied by his wife, Odette, and their children, Rocha settled in
Milan, working with the Reflections group which manufactures for
designers like Martine Sitbon and Piero Panchetti. The Irish, though,
were reluctant to lose him entirely, and it was while he was in Milan
that A-Wear came calling and persuaded him to resurrect the Chinatown
label, this time with their backing.
This young, vibrant department store in Dublin belongs to the Brown
Thomas chain which today provides the infrastructure to Rocha's strongly
expanding business. Twice a year he shows his collections, which now
include menswear, in Milan, Paris, London, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf, and
in America he has broken through that hyper-critical sales barrier to
become a regular favourite with shoppers at Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman
in New York.
Most of the collection, which is entirely designed and made in
Ireland, still goes to the Continent but in Britain Rocha's demand is
increasing with every season, and in Scotland June Gibson, of Cruise in
Glasgow and Edinburgh, has been its most determined advocate, believing
that Rocha's philosophy of snappy, directional dressing at affordable
prices chimes exactly with that of Cruise's clientele.
For that reason Rocha's work will be among the style keynotes when
Cruise, undaunted by the present miser-
able climate for retailing, opens its coolly urbane new premises on
Renfield Street, Glasgow, today. Among its extensive womenswear ranges
will be Rocha's gentle tube dresses, long and lightly sculpting the
torso; his handsome jackets with clever pocket features; and leggings
with just a hint of jodhpur on the thigh. By spring there will be lovely
muted long dresses in washed
or mesh linens, more of his tender suedes, and romantic leathers with
coachman collars.
Reflecting on the recent past, John Rocha believes those years in
Italy were vitally important because they imposed a discipline on his
designs and that in turn brought maturity. ''I learned first hand how
the Italians organise their business, how they control the detail.''
To be a winner in the ragtrade, this business, he says, must be like a
table with four legs. One for finance, one for manufacture, one for
design and the fourth for distribution. ''If any leg is missing then all
of them are in trouble.'' Odette is involved in styling and marketing
the collection, and the aim always is to keep prices at their keenest
while not skimping on quality.
''As a designer, I feel more confident than ever before, and that must
be showing in the clothes because business has tripled in three years
and orders for the new collection are up by 50 per cent.''
But the volatility of the design world has left its mark. Rocha is too
sage now to be bewitched by the whirl of fashion: ''I get a kick out of
it, certainly, but the hype doesn't turn me on at all.''
If he had been skilled enough, he insists, he would have rather been a
professional footballer, and that is not a dream easily abandoned. With
Paul Costelloe, that other noteworthy Dublin chap with with frocks, John
Rocha has been known to cast aside the pressure of
hemlines and lunge into some furiously friendly soccer at weekends.
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