The London-based designer is half Irish and half Chinese. And her eclectic background made her feel right at home when she opened her first store in New York City. 

It&rsquo;s been a year since you opened up your New York store. What&rsquo;s significant about that to you?

It&rsquo;s been unbelievable to see so many amazing New York women in the clothes and to have a place that people can come and see my work from all different disciplines, from fashion and art.

&nbsp;

As a designer, do you more strongly identify with New York, London, or Ireland?

It&rsquo;s so hard because it&rsquo;s all of them. It&rsquo;s kind of funny because, even though I&rsquo;m based in London and educated in London, I&rsquo;m half Irish and half Chinese, so I&rsquo;ve always been from a very eclectic background, which has made me very comfortable in New York as a designer.

&nbsp;

You were at the Comme des Gar&ccedil;ons show in October in Paris and Dover Street Market was one of the first shops to pick up your line. What&rsquo;s it like being in that family?

It&rsquo;s the only show that I go to. I always absolutely love it. I&rsquo;m very lucky to be a part of that family, so I get to go to the show in Paris every season. Dover Street Market was the first store internationally to pick up my line, and I&rsquo;ve been working with them ever since.

&nbsp;

What was it like the first time you met Rei Kawakubo?

The very first time was actually when she came to see my collection and before I was stocked in Dover Street Market. It was a little surreal because I was still very young and a huge fan of their whole ethos.

&nbsp;

Who else do you look up to in the world of fashion?

I&rsquo;ve always really admired the historical houses like Balenciaga, but at the same time, the people I really admire are those who built independent businesses&nbsp;like myself or Rick Owens.

"In the way that I’m a woman designing for women, so the physicality of the clothes is something that very naturally happens when I’m designing."

Simone Rocha on Rei Kawakubo and Dressing for Comfort

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Simone Rocha on Rei Kawakubo and Dressing for Comfort

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