Raf Simons

Raf Simons
Born	(1968-01-12) January 12, 1968 Neerpelt, Belgium
Occupation	Fashion designer
Years active	1995–present
Known for	Menswear, Creative Director at Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, co-creative director of Prada
Notable work	Raf Simons menswear label

Raf Jan Simons (; born 12 January 1968) is a Belgian fashion designer renowned for his influential work in menswear. Originally trained as a furniture designer, Simons introduced his own menswear line in 1995. He has held the position of creative director at prestigious fashion houses including Jil Sander (2005–2012), Christian Dior (2012–2015), and Calvin Klein (2016–2018). Since 1 April 2020, he has been serving as co-creative director of Prada, sharing the role with Miuccia Prada.

Early life and education

Simons was born in Neerpelt, Belgium, to Jacques Simons, who worked as an army night watchman, and Alda Beckers, employed as a house cleaner. He completed his studies in Industrial and Furniture Design at the LUCA School of Arts in Genk in 1991. During his academic years, he connected with contemporaries such as Olivier Rizzo and Willy Vanderperre, engaging in discussions about fashion influences like Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela.

Following an internship at Walter Van Beirendonck’s design studio from 1991 to 1993, Simons pursued a career as a furniture designer for various galleries. It was Van Beirendonck who introduced him to Paris Fashion Week, where witnessing Martin Margiela’s all-white collection in 1991 profoundly inspired Simons to transition into fashion design.

Raf Simons label

Prompted by encouragement from Linda Loppa, Simons established his self-taught Raf Simons menswear brand in 1995. His initial collections from Fall–Winter 1995 through Spring–Summer 1997 were showcased through videos or presentations. His debut runway show in Paris during Fall–Winter 1997 reflected a style influenced by American collegiate and English schoolboy aesthetics infused with New Wave and Punk elements. Drawing heavily from youth subcultures, his Spring–Summer 2000 collection referenced MENSA members alongside the Dutch-Belgian Gabba scene. Music served as a key inspiration for many of his works, particularly the Fall–Winter 1998 Radioactivity collection which paid homage to Kraftwerk.

Simons halted his label in March 2000 following the Fall–Winter 2000 Confusion collection but resumed activities in Fall–Winter 2001 through collaboration with Belgian manufacturer Gysemans Clothing Industry. The Spring–Summer 2002 collection earned international recognition for its urban guerrilla-inspired aesthetic. In October 2004, the company underwent restructuring and secured distribution agreements across Europe, the United States, and Asia involving Futurenet and Mitsui & Co., continuing until the Spring–Summer 2011 collection.

Starting in 2005, the brand’s creative direction evolved away from youth subculture motifs toward an emphasis on silhouette and form, exemplified by the Autumn-Winter 04-05 Waves collection. That June, Simons introduced the more accessible Raf by Raf Simons line and released Raf Simons: Redux, commemorating ten years of his work. The same year featured a retrospective exhibition accompanied by an outdoor runway show at Pitti Immagine Uomo in Florence.

In 2008, flagship stores for Raf Simons opened in Tokyo and Osaka through collaborations with artists Sterling Ruby and Roger Hiorns. The brand launched its inaugural advertising campaign for the Autumn-Winter 2009 season, photographed by Willy Vanderperre. By 2011, Raf by Raf Simons evolved into Raf Simons 1995, a diffusion range revisiting earlier designs while also branching into home accessories such as blankets and cushions.

On November 21, 2022, Raf Simons declared via social media that the SS23 collection would mark the final chapter for his label before its closure.

Collaborations

Since 2008, Simons has engaged in partnerships with the British label Fred Perry to develop various collections. Beginning with the Spring–Summer 2008 season, he teamed up with Linda Farrow to design sunglasses, and from Fall–Winter 2009 onward, he collaborated with the running shoe brand Asics. In Fall–Winter 2013, Simons introduced a limited-edition footwear range in collaboration with Adidas, showcasing five unique models.

Between 2008 and 2009, Simons crafted three collections alongside American bag producer Eastpak, a collaboration that extended through Fall–Winter 2013. In 2009, he incorporated denim treated by artist Sterling Ruby into a capsule collection of jeans and jackets. Their partnership continued in Fall–Winter 2014 under the joint label 'Raf Simons/Sterling Ruby'.

Simons initiated a collaboration with Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat in 2014, resulting in a well-regarded assortment of textiles and accessories that feature his distinctive fusion of color and fabric. These materials were integrated into his Autumn/Winter 2015 menswear collection.

In 2016, Simons partnered with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation for his Spring–Summer 2017 lineup, which premiered at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy.

Jil Sander

In June 2005, Simons was appointed Creative Director of the Jil Sander brand by its then-owner, the Prada Group. Following subsequent ownership changes to Change Capital Partners and later GIBO Co. SpA—a subsidiary of Japanese company Onward Holdings Co. Ltd—this role marked Simons's initial venture into designing womenswear and accessories alongside menswear.

During his tenure at Jil Sander, Simons transformed the brand's style from severe minimalism toward a more commercially appealing aesthetic, launching the womenswear diffusion line Jil Sander Navy. In 2010, he unveiled couture-inspired collections that explored high-fashion silhouettes and palettes, representing his most feminine design period.

Simons was often speculated to be in consideration for replacing Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati and was interviewed for the creative director position at Christian Dior. His concluding collection for Jil Sander was Fall–Winter 2012, which received positive reviews despite his dismissal by Onward Holdings in favor of Jil Sander's return to the label.

Christian Dior

In April 2012, Simons was appointed as creative director at Dior, taking over from John Galliano after an interim phase. He concentrated solely on womenswear while Kris van Assche maintained responsibility for menswear at Dior Homme.

Simons’s inaugural Haute Couture Fall–Winter 2012 collection revisited Dior’s legendary 1950s forms such as the A-line, H-line, and Bar jacket, earning widespread critical praise. His objective was “to bring some emotion back,” countering what he perceived as a lack of emotional resonance in modern fashion.

The documentary Dior and I, released in 2014, documented Simons’s process creating his first couture collection for Dior and debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival.

On October 22, 2015, after three and a half years at the helm, Simons stepped down as Creative Director of Womenswear at Christian Dior to dedicate time to other pursuits including his own label. The separation was amicable, with no successor named immediately.

Calvin Klein

On August 2, 2016, Raf Simons was appointed chief creative officer of Calvin Klein, Inc., a fully owned subsidiary of PVH Corp. In this role, Simons directed the overarching creative vision for all Calvin Klein divisions, including Collection, Platinum, Jeans, Underwear, and Home. His responsibilities encompassed Design, Global Marketing and Communications, as well as Visual Creative Services. During his leadership, he secured a significant three-year agreement with the Andy Warhol Foundation, allowing access to the Warhol archive.

Simons presented his inaugural collection in Fall 2017, which received widespread acclaim from fashion industry critics. Nevertheless, by December 2018, Calvin Klein and Simons mutually agreed to end their collaboration as the brand pursued a fresh creative path.

Prada

In 2020, Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, respectively the creative director and CEO of the Prada Group, appointed Simons as co-creative director. Their first collaborative collection debuted at Milan Fashion Week for the spring–summer 2021 season.

Other interests

Since 2000, Simons has acted as a consultant for Belgium's Cigrang Freres art collection and curates a private collection that includes artists such as Evan Holloway and Cindy Sherman. He served as a fashion instructor at the University of Applied Arts Vienna until 2005 before dedicating himself fully to his work with Jil Sander.

Simons has curated various exhibitions including Guided by Heroes in Belgium and The Fourth Sex in Italy. In 2011, he organized The Avant/Garde Diaries: Transmission1 in collaboration with Mercedes-Benz, featuring prominent contemporary artists.

His artistic collaborations extend across fashion and visual arts with figures like Franky Claeys, Peter Saville, Pablo Picasso (whose work appeared in Jil Sander’s Spring–Summer 2012 collection), and Brian Calvin. Longstanding partnerships include photographer Willy Vanderperre and stylist Olivier Rizzo. Among his significant projects is the Isolated Heroes photography series with David Sims, which toured internationally during 2000–01.

In February 2001, Simons guest-edited i-D Magazine's Inspiration Issue, presenting photography by Vanderperre alongside styling by Rizzo.

In popular culture

In 2008, Kanye West conducted an interview with Simons for Interview, acknowledging him as a source of inspiration for his album 808s & Heartbreak. By 2015, West identified Simons as a major influence behind his debut runway presentation, Yeezy Season 1.

Simons has garnered admiration from artists such as Blackbear, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Future, Raekwon, ASAP Rocky, Lil Uzi Vert, Big Sean, Drake, and Juice Wrld, many of whom have worn or referenced his creations. In 2017, rap collective ASAP Mob released the track "Raf" featuring ASAP Rocky, Quavo, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Frank Ocean; its official music video premiered on July 24.

Italian rapper Rosa Chemical also paid tribute by naming a song after Simons on his 2020 album Forever.

Personal life

Flemish is Simons’ native language; he is also proficient in English.

Publications

• Simons, Raf and David Sims. Isolated Heroes. Connection NV, Antwerp. 2000.
• Bonami, Francesco, Maria Luisa Frisa and Raf Simons (eds). The Fourth Sex: Adolescent Extremes. Edizioni Charta, Milan. 2003.
• De Potter, Peter and Raf Simons. Raf Simons: Redux. Maria Luisa Frisa (ed). Edizioni Charta, Milan. 2005.

Recognition

• 2003 – Awarded Swiss Textiles Prize
• 2017 – CFDA Fashion Award, honored as Designer of the Year for both women's and men's collections
• 2017 – British Fashion Council's Designer of the Year

External links

• Official site