Raf Simons Spring 2022 Ad Campaign

Review of Raf Simons Spring 2022 Ad Campaign by Photographer Willy Vanderperre with models Atticus Rodda, Craig Shimirimana, Julia Nobis, Lexi Boling, and Louise Robert

Raf Simons shares a minimal and monumental campaign for Spring 2022 by photographer Willy Vanderperre.

Vanderperre – a frequent Simons collaborator and the designer’s go-to campaign photographer – captures his models in grainy, blown-out black and white among the gloomily gorgeous and architecturally intricate interior of a Renaissance-style church. With the photographer shooting from below, his models loom over dramatically.

While the images are almost entirely black-and-white, the graphic work and text on the pieces are rendered in color. Cryptic sloganeering and graphics drawn from realms of youth (counter-)culture are a Raf Simons staple, especially in this collection, so – in addition to being visually very cool – the technique is a great way to communicate the mood and style of one of the brand’s signatures. The futuristic and punk-esque graphics also provide an intriguing aesthetic contrast against the classically sophisticated church motifs.

With thoughtful production and composition that belie its moody atmosphere of effortless cool, the campaign is another focused and slick burst of branding excellence from the duo of Raf Simons and Willy Vanderperre.