Belgian fashion has lost one of its stars. Neerpelt-based designer Raf Simons has decided, after 27 years, to put an end to the brand he created himself. How do we remember the unique label? One that changed menswear forever.
1/ Insta news
The Belgian fashion designer announced the news on Instagram on Monday night, after first deleting all content from his Instagram account. In it, Simons explained that the spring-summer 2023 collection, shown in London last October, was definitely their last. And it was one we will definitely remember: shown in one of London’s most popular nightclubs under the techno beats of Dj Clara3000. That made the afterparty go on into the early hours – and in retrospect was the perfect farewell party.
“Words fail to express how proud I am of everything we have achieved. I am grateful for the incredible support from my team, my partners, the press and buyers, my friends and family, and from our dedicated fans and loyal followers. Thank you for believing in our vision and in me,” Simons said. Details on the reason for the discontinuation remained outstanding.
2/ What should we remember Raf Simons for?
Simons, born in 1968, trained as a product developer and more specifically furniture designer. However, his passion for design turned out to lie rather with the fashion industry, in which he consequently built an impressive career. Since April 2020, for instance, he has been creative director of the Italian luxury house together with Miuccia Prada. Before that, he also held the same position at none other than Dior (2012-2015) and Calvin Klein (2016-2018). A variety of popular collaborations are also to his credit, such as with street brands Adidas and Dr Martens.
But as early as 1995, he launched his first men’s collection of his own, known for revamping menswear. He drew his inspiration mainly from youth culture and his favourite music and artists (such as David Bowie or Kraftwerk). This resulted in collections based on punk, new wave and gothic, with narrow silhouettes and a straight cut. Far from macho culture and thus very controversial at the time. Today, Raf Simons was a child of his time, with celebrities like Timothée Chalamet defining fashion culture.
Simons was pioneering on every front, as he also brought youth to the catwalk. He scouted his models from the streets and sent them directly to his experimental photo shoots, in which the amateur models posed from escalators and bridges.
Not only the male youth was wedded to Simon’s designs; women too were enthusiastic about this new wind right from the first collection, even though it was intended for men. Just two years ago, in 2020, he decided to launch a collection for women after all. Our favourite silhouettes from those latest collections, we gladly list for you:
3/ 10 x our favourite looks by Raf Simons
We bid farewell to an incredibly successful career so far, which makes us think (read: hope) that we will hear from the Belgian fashion genius in the future – if only with full dedication to Prada. If you’re interested in more fashion news, be sure to visit our PureStyle page.
