Raf Simons

In April 2020, Raf Simons joined the Prada brand as co-creative director, working in partnership with Miuccia Prada with equal responsibilities for creative input and decision-making. The first Prada collection designed by Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons was the spring/summer 2021 womenswear show, presented digitally on September 24th 2020.

Simons originally graduated in Industrial Design and Furniture Design in 1991, going on to work as a furniture designer for various galleries. Encouraged by Linda Loppa, head of the fashion department at the Antwerp Royal Academy, the self-taught Belgian designer launched the Raf Simons label, which began as a youth culture line, in 1995. Today, innovation, modernity and individuality remain core tenets of his menswear line, and the creative fusion of the arts the Raf Simons brand is known for — music, performance and art has always played a substantial role in the designer’s creative process — is an approach he has replicated at the different houses he has headed up. In 2008, two flagship Raf Simons standalone stores opened in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, in collaboration with the artists Sterling Ruby and Roger Hiorns. Since then, Simons has created collaborative collections with Fred Perry, Asics, Adidas and Linda Farrow .

In June, 2005 Simons was appointed the creative director of Jil Sander, receiving industry-wide acclaim for his minimalist work at the German label. The diffusion line Jil Sander Navy was launched during his tenure.

Simons left Jil Sander in time for his appointment to Dior in April 2012, replacing Bill Gaytten as creative director and ending a period of transition after John Galliano ‘s dismissal from the role. During his time at the house, Simons established his own modern yet elegant take on Dior’s archive of classic silhouettes. In 2015, Simons cast Rihanna as the first black face of the house; the same year, “Dior & I” — a documentary by Frédéric Tcheng exploring the house’s couture atelier and the creation of Simon’s first Haute Couture collection at Dior — was released to rave reviews.

In October 2015, he stepped down from his position at Dior to shift his focus to his Raf Simons label. It wasn’t until the following August, after ongoing industry speculation, that the designer was officially announced as chief creative officer of Calvin Klein. Relocating to New York, Simons was tasked with leading the creative vision at the iconic American brand, where his debut collection for the label received critical acclaim. He stepped down from the role in December 2018 to focus solely on his eponymous brand. At the 2018 CFDA awards Raf Simons was honoured for the second year in a row as womenswear designer of the year for his work at Calvin Klein.