H&M unveils Simone Rocha campaign, focuses on uplifting themes

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Mar 2, 2021

H&M has unveiled its new campaign to support the Simone Rocha collaboration collection that debuts next week. It was shot by Tyler Mitchell “in his signature optimistic style”.

That approach is perhaps understandable in the current circumstances with consumers needing something to be cheerful about and some reassurance in a world that’s vastly different from what it was just a year ago. 

The company said the campaign “invites people to step into the Simone Rocha x H&M world, and experience the feeling of community, strong femininity and closeness that underpins the collection. The campaign is a story about friendship, joy and inclusivity – and an ode to moments of openness and congregation. It is a hopeful message about the joy that will come when we can meet again, and come together to dine, relax, laugh, dance, exchange and share”.

It also said the stars of the campaign are “dynamic individuals whose skills, outlook and unique beauty are admired by Rocha”.

That means “rising star” actors Daisy Edgar-Jones and Micheal Ward, Royal Ballet Principal Dancer Francesca Hayward, artist Faye Wei Wei, models Mouchette Bell and Aramish Mangi, and musician Kelsey Lu – who also came up with the soundtrack for the film. Other models include Rocha favourites Tess McMillan, as well as Adwoa Aboah and her sister Kesewa Aboah, an artist and model.

Given Rocha’s status as a favourite at key British fashion event London Fashion Week (and perhaps the difficulty of trying to travel anywhere exotic at the moment), the campaign was shot at Great Dixter house and gardens in Northiam, East Sussex. 

H&M said it “infers the stages of a meal and the rituals that come with sharing food and free time; the preparation and planning, the washing and table-laying, the presentation of fresh produce, the eventual relaxation”.

Other long-term Rocha collaborators also worked on the shoot with stylist Robbie Spencer, make-up artist Thomas De Kluyver and hair stylist Cyndia Harvey all playing a part. The set design was courtesy of David White and “nods to the tactile installations that have become a signature within Rocha’s stores and images, and the sweeping panels of fabric that often appear within Mitchell’s images”.