Page 62 - Real Style Spring 2017

Having witnessed the ups and downs that a modelling career based on looks can bring, Rocha seems the ideal candidate to educate and inspire up-and-comers. Not to mention the fact that being a mother to a young daughter brings new perspective to building self-esteem and the importance of encouraging a positive self-image.
“It’s important that there’s no shaming. I come from
an industry where it can be tough for young girls because you’re being picked for your outer appearance—that’s really all it’s about. I have de nitely felt negativity about all of that,” says Rocha before sharing how she hopes Ioni will view beauty. “It’s not that she needs to wear makeup or look a certain way. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s a feeling. If I can come into a room and wear a gown when no one else is wearing a gown and feel ne with it, then that’s how it should be, and I want her to feel the same way.”
When it comes to her parenting style, Rocha’s ap- proach is laidback and relatable. “[My advice to] moms out there who are having a hard time guring out what it’s all about...just go with it. You’re going to make mistakes— everyone does, and that’s just being a mom. Don’t punish yourself. And go by your own rulebook. As long as that baby is being loved, as long as that family is being taken care of, you’re doing it all right,” she says.
Exuding major con dence is commonplace for Rocha, who has stacked up more than a few unforgettable and fearless aunts on the catwalk. The stage star laughs off naming which designer she prefers to work with. “That’s like asking a mom who her favourite child is!” Rocha says, taking a neutral position. “For runway, Jean Paul Gaultier has given me some of my most memorable moments. It
all started when he asked me to open his 2007 show with a full-on Irish jig down his 300-foot runway. I was terri- ed I’d fall off the edge of the catwalk into some editor’s lap! Just this last week I was again in JPG’s couture show in Paris. This time, he had me close the show on a gi-
ant swing! It’s always a moment with Mr. Gaultier,” she gushes.
Seamlessly merging her roles of career woman, mom and wife (husband James Conran is also her business part- ner), Rocha describes her world as a mix of creative work and family. “My husband helps manage my career so we usually get to travel together. The great thing about being a new mom now is that I still get to travel and work, but I take my baby and husband with me. It’s the three of us, the three amigos, all day, every day. I love it and we wouldn’t want it any other way,” she concludes.
Fans can catch their daily glimpse into Coco’s real world through the lens of her various social media ac-
Rocha on the Jean-Paul Gaultier runway at Paris Haute Couture Spring Summer 2017
62 Real Style Spring 2017
PhotoS, inStarimaGeS