Even if Jean Paul Gaultier is very much out of business when it comes to selling clothes and it’s clear that only his perfume deal with Puig keeps the business alive, the guest designer slot he offers during Haute Couture has somewhat become a sought-after appointment which underlines the standing of a designer and bodes well for their future. Simone Rocha has started the year with a spectacular show in Paris for the enfant terrible which she cleverly made part of a trilogy and called it the “Procession” while her latest outing during London Fashion Week was called the “Wake” focusing on the mourning dress of Queen Victoria which circled around the idea of preserved garments. And Rocha’s signature of clothes one wants to keep for a lifetime becomes clearer and clearer and make her one of the few Brits with a real business in 2024. Brexit has been brutal for British designers of a smaller scale. They must import costly fabrics, switch to a Made in England production as shipping back and forth to customary Italy is too expensive and make sure that their retail prices don’t become astronomical to remain competitive. Of course, they still must attract buyers and press from all over the world while it becomes harder and harder to travel to London on a reasonable budget. While all this is happening, Rocha is taking the limelight and is becoming one of London’s biggest shows with her quirky men’s wear and intellectual women’s wear which looks like occasion dressing at its best.