John Rocha To Retire From London Fashion Week

Picture credit: Simon Brown

JOHN ROCHA has retired from London Fashion Week, the designer has told us.

The news will come as a surprise to many, who consider Rocha to be producing his best work to date. For the designer himself, however, that makes it the perfect time to retire from his eponymous brand.

John on the catwalk with Naomi Campbell at his autumn/winter 1993 show

'If I stay, I want to have something to say and I always want to keep the standard high. The last couple of collections I looked back on and I thought to myself, 'that is really the best work I can do',' he says contentedly. 'For the last few years I can see lots of talented people and designers coming up and with so much young talent you have to work so much harder, and I'm not going to do it until I drop!'

Christy Turlington walking in the John Rocha spring/summer 1994 show

It was in 1985 that Rocha first took to the London Fashion Week schedule, and in the 29 years that have followed he has accomplished worldwide fame thanks to his collections that bridge the gap between ready-to-wear and haute couture, not to mention raise a family with his wife and business partner Odette. From the sleek, diaphanous lines of the Nineties to the voluminous silhouettes and signature froufrou head pieces of late, Rocha's talent for creating timeless designs while remaining current at the forefront of the industry is what has won him countless accolades, including Designer of the Year at the 1993 British Fashion Awards and a CBE in 2002 for his contribution to the fashion industry.

So why after such an illustrious history is he stopping? 'People ask me why, and it's because I want to do more with my time. I left Hong Kong in 1971 and I have never been back to spend Chinese New Year with my family because it always falls in February during the shows. In 40 years I have never taken more than ten days holiday at once. At this point in my life I want to live by my calendar and not the Fashion Week calendar. Stopping allows me to do that. It's not an overnight decision, Odette and I have been talking about it for some time.'

In similar situations, the creative director baton is passed to a new designer, but having been so hands on with every element of his collections for so long, it isn't something Rocha wants to do.

'I can tell you every element of every single look from each collection - one to 30 - without looking at a picture - my label is all done by me. When I stop nobody could take over - I've made that decision.'

Bringing the main line to an end does not, however, mean redundancies are on the cards for anyone that currently works for Rocha. 'As we focus more of the licensing parts of the business on the high street, the design team in Dublin will be redistributed,' he says. 'It's important for me to restructure the office so that everyone still has a job and be able to tell everyone what they will be doing in five years - in ten years even!'

So what is next for the man himself? 'I want to explore my design philosophy in different mediums, and I'm very interested in architecture,' he says, referring to his recent involvement in Château La Coste, the hotel-meets-art project in the sweeping, lavender-rich hills of En Provence that brings art, architecture and land together. That and lots of fishing trips he tells us.

But while his name will no longer appear on the schedule, the Rocha legacy lives on through his daughter Simone, who was herself awarded emerging womenswear designer of the year at the 2013 British Fashion Awards. It means that for those that will be sad at the thought of not seeing Rocha in the Somerset House tents, they won't be too disappointed as he'll be there, he assures us, sat on the front row as a proud father.

'Simone can continue the family tradition in fashion,' he smiles. 'In the last couple of collections people finally understand what I'm about and I've achieved more than I ever thought. But for now I'm embracing the future. It's time to move on.'