By Irishexaminer.com,Paul McLaughlan

Copyright irishexaminer

Ms Rocha continued to explore hallmarks of girlhood, such as stealing from your mother’s wardrobe, the first debutante ball, and the natural progression to womanhood.

The opening gambit was a sequinned bra and a crinoline skirt layered with diaphanous organza florals, suggesting the romance and awkwardness of growing up and dressing up for the first time.

Backstage, Ms Rocha characterised the models as “disgruntled debutantes”. She said:

I was thinking about the idea of when you have to be performative and how you have to be on display.

There was an interplay between good and bad taste in the contrast between sharp colours like chartreuse, lime green, and scarlet, and through combinations like khaki car coats with sequinned shorts.

With reference to prerequisite debutante gifts like flowers and corsages, she sheathed quilted, floral-printed down coats in vinyl raincoats.

Without it becoming ironically elegant, she underpinned the collection with sporty elements like Harrington jackets, rugby shirts, crystal-embellished ribbed underpants and an oversized red cagoule to balance ethereal organza and shimmering sequins.

She elevated tailoring with an ivory cutaway tailcoat, embellished with crystals, over a tailored trouser and hoop skirt.

“I feel like we’re very exposed. We’re always on show. There’s very little private time to be able to digest your work.

“When it comes to designing a collection, you want to put your best foot forward,” Ms Rocha said.

Her ardent supporters — including Cork actor Fiona Shaw, Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten, and her parents John and Odette — lined the front row.

Ms Rocha is regarded as one of London’s leading designers for her portrayal of femininity on the runway. She juxtaposes masculine and feminine elements, clashing ethereal tulle and smocking with fabrics like faux leather and denim. The tension between polished and undone is relatable and compelling.

Accessories, like beaded drop earrings, pearl clutch bags and an ongoing footwear collaboration with Crocs, have charmed customers, become shorthand for her brand identity and a boon for business. They now account for 40% of her business, according to Vogue Business.

Nearly two decades in business, the Irish designer counts four flagship stores in London, New York, and Taipei, over 190 wholesale stockists globally and 70 employees across.

Last year, she released a monograph chronicling her first decade through photography and interviews with her close collaborators and heroes like former president of Ireland Mary Robinson. More than a brand, Ms Rocha is building a legacy.

Irish style at LFW

“We’re on a coming-of-age journey with the brand,” said Daniel Kearns, the Irish creative director of Kent & Curwen, a British brand celebrating its centenary in 2026, backstage at Sunday’s show.

Looking at the transcendental feeling of summers lazing in London green spaces, Mr Kearns’s sunny disposition was energising.

He iterated on Kent & Curwen’s preppy heritage through sporty trapeze mini dresses, tailored jackets with floral appliqués, with stripes and checks, bold pops of red and cobalt enlivened his crisp white colour palette.

He guided the brand into the next century with subtle twists on tailoring: backwards collars and shirting with cinching drawstring details.

On Friday, Rixo duo Orlagh McCloskey and Henrietta Rix marked a decade of their label, beloved for its vintage-inspired occasion dresses, with a disco-themed presentation.

Paul Costelloe’s collection

Elsewhere, Paul Costelloe, who turned 80 in June, evoked the bouffants of Beverly Hills, Hollywood, and Palm Springs in his collection with flouncy mini dresses, matching twinsets and cropped knitwear in sherbet shades.

JW Anderson eschewed the runway: he hosted an intimate dinner at The Ritz and previewed his recently refurbished store in Soho to align with the label’s rebrand as a lifestyle proposition, ranging from fashion to furniture and Nicholas Mosse and Wedgwood ceramics.

London Fashion Week commenced on Thursday evening. The fashion industry is worth nearly £68bn to the UK economy every year.

Despite rising operational costs, tariffs from Brexit, and a wider luxury downturn, the city was awash with unfettered creativity.

London’s lifeblood

Bootstrapped young talents are still the city’s lifeblood. Following in the footsteps of Alexander McQueen, John Galliano and Vivienne Westwood, London’s designers are concerned with identity and ideas.

Aaron Esh preoccupied himself with the dichotomy of how young people dress today: a dialogue between sleaze and sophistication. There was dashing Harris tweed tailoring (including a beautiful half zip) and suede field jackets, beautifully crafted by a Savile Row tailor, alongside slinky bias-cut dresses and faded skinny jeans.

In contrast, Pauline Dujancourt’s transportive knitwear, whorls of tulle and feathers, are otherworldly but no less delightful. They speak to creativity and craftsmanship that algorithms could never replicate.

The spring/summer 2026 edition of London Fashion Week concludes with a blockbuster Burberry billing on Monday evening in the private garden of the Prince and Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace.