Why Rocha's look is truly international

work of John Rocha (right) will

be among the style keynotes

when Cruise opens its coolly

urbane new premises in

Glasgow today. Among its

extensive womenswear

ranges will be Rocha's

gentle tube dresses,

long and lightly sculpting

the torso; his handsome

jackets with clever

pocket features; and

leggings with a hint

of jodhpur.

TWENTY years ago what most outsiders considered as Irish fashion

either revolved around the shawled look of Juno and the Paycock, or the

raffish cut of a Donegal tweed at Landsdowne Road. Both images were

mistakenly narrow, neglecting the fact that a certain romantic

classicism had always been a trait in celtic style.

But it wasn't until Armani and Kenzo came along that the world

recognised that tweed could be shaped in unexpected ways. Today the best

designers in Dublin have embraced this international challenge, breaking

free of any inhibition about using the native cloth only according to

traditional rules.

Yet no matter how creative

a designer in Ireland may be,

there is one inescapable problem: the difficulty in obtaining

significant financial backing when starting out.

As in Scotland, even the

best young talent is confronted by great problems in gaining help from

the various state bodies which offer financial

incentives, and -- simply because of the size of the population --

there is still only a small market, however enthusiastic, for clothes of

innovative line.

John Rocha's career is proof that fashion is as merciless for the

acclaimed as for the beginner. His dilemma, during the late eighties,

sprang from his very success as an arbiter of winsome chic, producing

long, floaty dresses in pale, delicate linens beneath tail coats and

panelled jackets of masterly cut. But at the time demand far exceeded

John's ability to deliver, so his very gift was driving him into the

classic ragtrade trap.

To solve the nightmare he was forced to close his Chinatown shop in

Dublin, and seek a more practical means of designing abroad.

In a sense, such get-up-and-go was second nature. Born in Hong Kong of

a Chinese mother and a Portuguese father, Rocha had arrived in Britain

when he was 18 to study fashion at Croydon Art College. In his degree

show he specialised in Irish fabrics and as a result he found himself

domiciled in Dublin, from where he worked in close conjunction with the

more imaginative Irish mills.

But by 1988, with his Chinatown in turmoil, he was on the move again.

Accompanied by his wife, Odette, and their children, Rocha settled in

Milan, working with the Reflections group which manufactures for

designers like Martine Sitbon and Piero Panchetti. The Irish, though,

were reluctant to lose him entirely, and it was while he was in Milan

that A-Wear came calling and persuaded him to resurrect the Chinatown

label, this time with their backing.

This young, vibrant department store in Dublin belongs to the Brown

Thomas chain which today provides the infrastructure to Rocha's strongly

expanding business. Twice a year he shows his collections, which now

include menswear, in Milan, Paris, London, Amsterdam and Dusseldorf, and

in America he has broken through that hyper-critical sales barrier to

become a regular favourite with shoppers at Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman

in New York.

Most of the collection, which is entirely designed and made in

Ireland, still goes to the Continent but in Britain Rocha's demand is

increasing with every season, and in Scotland June Gibson, of Cruise in

Glasgow and Edinburgh, has been its most determined advocate, believing

that Rocha's philosophy of snappy, directional dressing at affordable

prices chimes exactly with that of Cruise's clientele.

For that reason Rocha's work will be among the style keynotes when

Cruise, undaunted by the present miser-

able climate for retailing, opens its coolly urbane new premises on

Renfield Street, Glasgow, today. Among its extensive womenswear ranges

will be Rocha's gentle tube dresses, long and lightly sculpting the

torso; his handsome jackets with clever pocket features; and leggings

with just a hint of jodhpur on the thigh. By spring there will be lovely

muted long dresses in washed

or mesh linens, more of his tender suedes, and romantic leathers with

coachman collars.

Reflecting on the recent past, John Rocha believes those years in

Italy were vitally important because they imposed a discipline on his

designs and that in turn brought maturity. ''I learned first hand how

the Italians organise their business, how they control the detail.''

To be a winner in the ragtrade, this business, he says, must be like a

table with four legs. One for finance, one for manufacture, one for

design and the fourth for distribution. ''If any leg is missing then all

of them are in trouble.'' Odette is involved in styling and marketing

the collection, and the aim always is to keep prices at their keenest

while not skimping on quality.

''As a designer, I feel more confident than ever before, and that must

be showing in the clothes because business has tripled in three years

and orders for the new collection are up by 50 per cent.''

But the volatility of the design world has left its mark. Rocha is too

sage now to be bewitched by the whirl of fashion: ''I get a kick out of

it, certainly, but the hype doesn't turn me on at all.''

If he had been skilled enough, he insists, he would have rather been a

professional footballer, and that is not a dream easily abandoned. With

Paul Costelloe, that other noteworthy Dublin chap with with frocks, John

Rocha has been known to cast aside the pressure of

hemlines and lunge into some furiously friendly soccer at weekends.