Simone Rocha wins fashion bursary

London Fashion Week designer Simone Rocha has been announced as the first recipient of the new one-year fashion bursary from fashion magazine Elle and Cointreau. Designed to mentor emerging London designers and help propel their businesses,

Rocha will receive multi-platform exposure across Elle’s website, magazine and social media networks, as well as a financial award of 100,000 pounds to support her fashion label.

In addition, Rocha will also act as Cointreau's creative director for the next year and will design the Cointreau Privé pop-up bar that will feature at London Fashion Week in September.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins College, London, Rocha is just six collections into her career. The young designer debut on the London Fashion Week schedule with her Spring/Summer 2011 collection as part of the Fashion East initiative, and most recently she presented her Autumn/Winter 2013 collection to critical acclaim on schedule at the Topshop Showspace.

Elle Cointreau bursary helps young designers grow
Her designs have not only received critical acclaim in the press, but she has also dressed celebrities including Alexa Chung and Chloe Moretz, and gained a number of prestigious stockists including Dover Street Market and Browns in London, Colette in Paris, 10 Corso Como in Milan and Jeffrey in New York.

Commenting on her win, Rocha said: "I am so grateful to be awarded the Elle Cointreau bursary. It is such an exciting time and their support can only help me build my label. Elle has supported me from the beginning of my label and I am delighted to be the first recipient of this bursary."

Elle’s Editor-In-Chief, Lorraine Candy, added: “This is a ground-breaking award that will help Simone, one of our freshest new designers, to expand her business and meet the ever-growing demands of her fans.

“Elle has a proud history of championing young talent and now we can help them grow financially too.”

Image: Simone Rocha via Elle