Simone Rocha’s Moncler Genius collaboration attends to thrill-seekers and frill-seekers alike
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

A procession of petticoated Victorian hikers traversing crumpled paper mountains; 6.5m-high mechanical cylinders resembling steaming underwater pistons; a monastic chapel hanging with paintings by artist-monk Sidival Fila. These are just three of the eight scenes, hidden beneath huge tents of silver fabric, which greeted guests at Moncler’s Genius Project debut, in the cavernous Milanese stadium Palazzo delle Scintille in February.
The premise? A roster of designers – from Simone Rocha (winner of a 2018 Wallpaper* Design Award, W*227 (opens in new tab)) to Craig Green, Valentino’s Pierpaolo Piccioli and Rei Kawakubo’s protégé Kei Ninomiya – were invited to put their creative spin on the brand’s signature padded down jacket. Their creations were to be released in line with a new retail strategy, one that disrupts the traditional seasonal cycle with fresh drops of product put on sale each month (a model that nods to the selling strategies of street and sportswear brands such as Supreme and Nike).
‘I started looking at images of women wearing voluminous silhouettes among really rugged landscapes,’ says Rocha of the 19th-century Alpine trekkers, such as Maria de Mont Blanc and Henriette d’Angeville, that inspired her collection’s fusion of ‘femininity and practicality’. For the Milan presentation, the London-based Irish designer created a scene of hikers, milling against shadowy paper peaks, clad in gauzy petticoat layers, lampshade dresses in padded down, shiny puffer jackets with frills and frothy finishes, and marabou-trimmed accessories.
‘I’ve long been intrigued by Rocha’s sophisticated and hyper-feminine aesthetic,’ says Remo Ruffini, chairman and CEO of Moncler. The brand’s original, now ubiquitous, padded down jackets were first conceived in 1954, and Rocha brought her mastery of airy fabrics, such as organza and cloqué, to their ultra-light construction. ‘What was so surprising was that I could manipulate the fabric like taffeta or tulle,’ Rocha explains. She saw the padded garments as a ‘jigsaw’, the seams of which could be pieced together to create voluminous shapes – such as an A-line coat, its linear puffed sections widening towards the knee, and a jacket with undulating ruffles sprouting from its seams.
Ideas of growth and blossoming were essential to Rocha’s design concept, which worked to assimilate outdoorsy garments into their natural environments. ‘I was looking at foliage and flowers growing up through rocks,’ she explains. Signature handwork, such as beading, sequins and embroidered flowers, appears to push through seams or cluster around the graphic Moncler logo. ‘I used pearls to evoke a snowy mountain palette,’ she adds of the collection, which is realised in white, powdery pink, red and black.
Irish designer Simone Rocha in one of her trademark broderie anglaise creations
An element of protection is often evident in Rocha’s designs for her own label, her romantic silhouettes offset against militaristic cross-body belts and oversized cushiony bags. In her accessories for Moncler, she has emphasised functionality, creating nylon hiking backpacks that buckle around the waist and padded ski mittens. ‘It’s something I’ve never done before in terms of manufacturing,’ she enthuses. Her experimentation with technical fabrics is also seen in signature flaring dresses and soft double-breasted coats reinterpreted in nylon.
‘The Moncler Genius Project was very much about everyone having their own identity but being part of the brand’s voice,’ Rocha explains of unveiling her collection amid offerings as diverse as Craig Green’s padded men’s diving suits and Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Madonna-inspired flaring capes.
‘We’re establishing a dialogue with consumers, talking to different audiences and continuing to evolve,’ adds Ruffini.
Included in Rocha’s collection is a range of sunglasses. Ski goggle-inspired and ovular, they appear as if circled with black droplets of water. Functional yet feminine, made for the outdoors yet opulent, they serve as a symbol of Moncler’s multifarious vision. §
As originally featured in the September 2018 issue of Wallpaper* (W*234)
Left, shirt with embroidered cuff, £825. Right, nylon jacket, £1,250, all by 4 Moncler Simone Rocha
INFORMATION
4 Moncler Simone Rocha is available from mid-September. For more information, visit the Moncler (opens in new tab) and Simone Rocha (opens in new tab) websites
-
Stanya Kahn’s Frieze Los Angeles commission to unearth the ‘understory’ of human intervention in nature
We speak to multidisciplinary artist Stanya Kahn, whose ‘Understory’ installation will be unveiled at Frieze Los Angeles for the 2023 R.U.in.ART Commission
By Harriet Lloyd-Smith • Published
-
On your marks: the best looking sports watches
Choose the right sports watch for you, for its capabilites or its tools for outdoor adventure, bringing the greatest physical and mental benefits
By Hannah Silver • Published
-
Onitsuka Tiger hosts British artist Michele Fletcher in its in-store gallery
Michele Fletcher is the latest artist to show in Onitsuka Tiger’s open-to-all Tiger Gallery, found within the Japanese brand’s London flagship
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Haute couture week S/S 2023: everything you need to know
Feats of craft and imagination have defined this season’s couture offering, shown this week in Paris. Here, we round up the best of haute couture week S/S 2023
By Jack Moss • Published
-
Loewe marks the Year of the Rabbit with limited-edition bunny bags and candles
Loewe celebrates the Year of the Rabbit with a collection of bunny-shaped designs
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
Best team colours: Roksanda x Fila collaboration is a Wallpaper* design awards winner
Roksanda x Fila wins Best Team Colours at the 2023 Wallpaper* Design Awards for an unexpected encounter between the art world-inspired designer and Italian heritage sportswear brand
By Jack Moss • Published
-
James Turrell’s perfumes for Lalique win Best Grooming Product in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2023
James Turrell’s smallest works to date – two perfumes with Lalique – are named Wallpaper’s Best Grooming Product 2023. Discover more and the shortlist here
By Mary Cleary • Published
-
The best blankets for wrapping up this winter
We select the best blankets and throws for hibernating in a cold snap and staying warm all winter long
By Jack Moss • Published
-
The making of Dior’s spectacular festive Harrods takeover
Look behind the scenes as London’s Harrods is transformed into a gingerbread-filled wonderland by Dior
By Jack Moss • Published
-
In memoriam: Vivienne Westwood (1941 – 2022)
We remember iconoclastic British fashion designer Dame Vivienne Westwood, who has died aged 81
By Jack Moss • Published
-
This winter’s most stylish skiwear, Gucci to Hermès
Statement-making skiwear for on and off the slopes, from Louis Vuitton, Dior, Moncler and more
By Jack Moss • Published