Being John Rocha

Here he opens up about his journey to the upper echelons of fashion and why he’d be happy to walk away from it all when the moment comes

There is somethingvery Zen-like about John Rocha. Clad in his signature black outfit, the Dublin-based British designer, born to Portuguese and Chinese parents, exudes a sense of calm that is far removed from the rarefied atmosphere of international fashion.

Perhaps it is a sign of his early upbringing in a council house in Hong Kong, where he grew up sharing bed space with seven siblings, his parents and grandparents. Or it could well be his stint as a psychiatric nurse in London, which saw him rubbing shoulders with some troubled souls. A world he was only too willing to leave behind, as he confesses, “there was too much harshness there.”

But from then on it has been one sunny clime after the other. Fresh off his successful showing at the London Fashion Week, where he won rave reviews for his use of pop colours and pretty ruffles, the designer, who was on a whirlwind tour of the Middle East, stopped by at the Debenhams store in Mall of The Emirates to meet with his ardent fans.

FEEL GOOD, 
LOOK GOOD

Popping into a restaurant at the mall for a quick bite, the designer was accosted by a woman who wanted to take a picture with him. “She told me she had been buying my clothes for a long time. ‘It fits me well, makes me feel good, is in fashion, but at the same time it is not too much.’” And that very much sums up Rocha’s own philosophy as a designer.

“I like that my clothes have a feel good factor; people feel comfortable in them. You know, you are in fashion but not so much in fashion that you feel uncomfortable!”

A far cry from the fashion dictum that states if it feels comfortable, then it can’t be fashionable.

But then, as Rocha himself admits, he is a class apart from the rest of the breed. “I am an introspective designer – I am married, I have a wife and children. So I am much more aware of the woman’s figure.

“My dear wife told me 20 years ago ‘John, this is a great pair of trousers. But it is so uncomfortable when I sit down. I can’t wear them.’”

“For me this whole design thing is a not a fantasy, it is not tracing and selling a dream – I equate fashion with people.”

And that is quite evident from the designer’s collection. Unlike others of his ilk, who take pride in squeezing as much flamboyanceas possible into the minimal fabric required to dress a size zero model, Rocha has drawn attention for his more organic take on fashion. “I am a great believer in beauty. I love to make women beautiful.”

A sentiment that might not make for a conducive marital life, we would have suspected. But for the fact that Rocha keeps referring to himself as a “family man” throughout the interview. Not to forget the constant mention of his wife.

“Though she does not like me referring to her as such, she is still my muse. We still work together. She is a person of average height, she loves fashion and she is intelligent. Every season she wears my collection.

“The time she doesn’t like my collection is the time for me to stop. Touch wood, so far she still enjoys it.”

MULTI-TASKER

A regular at the London Fashion Week, Rocha has over the years built up a wide range of products besides clothes.

“I am lucky so many people share my same vision,” he says candidly.

At his studio in Dublin, he works closely with a creative team – which consists of architects, product designers, assistants in menswear, womenswear, childrenwear and jewellery makers.

“I am like a conductor. But it all comes from me in the beginning. It is my vision and we work together to transform that vision into products.”

Ask him to choose his favourite from among his various creative pursuits and there is no hesitation. “First and foremost I am a fashion designer. I still love fashion more than anything else. At the same time I do enjoy architectural work because fashion changes every six months. It is all about instinct. And then you have to reinvent it every six months.

“But the architecture work that I do, will remain beyond my lifetime.

“The building I worked on in London or Budapest or the church I just built in South of France – they will be there for my grandchildren to see. Fashion doesn’t give me that. So it is a different satisfaction – but I love them both.”

TAKE A BOW

The hours spent waiting for that elusive fish to bite may have taught the avid fishing enthusiast a lot about patience. One which makes him somewhat of an oddity in the world of international fashion.

However Rocha himself seems perfectly at peace with his spot under the sun.

“I am very happy doing what I do. As someone from Hong Kong, who left home at 17 and to do what I am doing today, I feel I have achieved all I need to. I always dreamt of building a church and I just did that. Now I have this dream of building council houses. I want to make it interesting. If it happens, it is great, if not…

“I always feel that I don’t want to waste people’s time. The day I know I cannot do that (excite people) I will be happy to walk away from it all and take away the wonderful memories,” he concludes.

CELEBRITY MUSE

While most international designers like to flaunt a celebrity muse or two – a staple arm candy for their various fashion soirees, Rocha is quite clear that his style focus is on the average woman. But when pushed to the point of rudeness, the designer reluctantly comes up with one name. Keira Knightley. “I don’t really do that sort of thing but I must say I do love the way this actress (probably the first time Knightley has thus been referred!) dresses, the way she looks – she is like a rare beautiful English rose with an attitude.”

But he is quick to add on: “Some people design for celebrities but in general – I design for real people. I always say I make clothes that can be worn by my daughter and her mother. And rock stars – you know, I do dress some 
of them…”

ambica@khaleejtimes.com