Raf Simons facts for kids

Raf Jan Simons, born on January 12, 1968, is a famous fashion designer from Belgium. He started his career designing furniture. In 1995, he launched his own clothing brand for men.

Simons has worked as a creative director for many big fashion houses. These include Jil Sander, Christian Dior, and Calvin Klein. Since April 2020, he has been a co-creative director at Prada, working with Miuccia Prada.

Raf Simons' Early Life and Education

Raf Simons was born in Neerpelt, Belgium, on January 12, 1968. His dad, Jacques Simons, was an army night watchman. His mom, Alda Beckers, was a house cleaner.

Simons studied Industrial Design and Furniture Design. He graduated in 1991 from LUCA School of Arts in Genk. During this time, he often met with friends to talk about fashion. They discussed designers like Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela.

He started working as a furniture designer for different art galleries. Before that, he had worked as an intern for designer Walter Van Beirendonck. This was between 1991 and 1993.

Van Beirendonck took Simons to Paris Fashion Week. There, Simons saw his first fashion show. It was Martin Margiela’s all-white show in 1991. This show really inspired Simons to become a fashion designer himself.

Raf Simons' Fashion Career

Starting His Own Brand: Raf Simons

This "Spiderweb sweater" from 1998-99 shows how Raf Simons used different textures and materials in his early designs.

Linda Loppa, who led the fashion department at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts, encouraged Simons. He taught himself how to design menswear. In 1995, he launched his own brand, Raf Simons. His first collection came out in Fall–Winter 1995. It was shown in a video with two street models.

From 1995 to 1997, Simons showed his collections in videos or presentations. His first runway show was in Paris in Fall–Winter 1997. The clothes looked like a mix of 'American college students and English schoolboys'. They had a 'New Wave and Punk' style. Simons often used ideas from youth culture in his early designs. For example, his Spring–Summer 2000 collection was inspired by both smart students and the "Gabba" music scene.

Music has always been a big part of Simons's work. He has referenced musicians like Richey Edwards from the Manic Street Preachers and Ian Curtis from Joy Division. His Fall–Winter 1998 collection, called Radioactivity, featured looks inspired by the German band Kraftwerk.

In March 2000, Simons closed his company for a short break. He reopened it for Fall–Winter 2001 after making a new deal. During this time, Simons became more famous around the world. His Spring–Summer 2002 collection became very influential. It showed a 'layered, hooded, sinister image of the urban guerrilla'.

The style of the Raf Simons brand changed after 2005. It started focusing more on shapes and forms instead of just youth culture. In June 2005, he launched Raf by Raf Simons. This line was sold at a lower price. Simons also released a book called Raf Simons: Redux. It covered the first 10 years of his career.

In 2008, two stand-alone Raf Simons stores opened in Japan. They were in Tokyo and Osaka. These stores were created with artists Sterling Ruby and Roger Hiorns. In 2011, Raf by Raf Simons was replaced by Raf Simons 1995. This new line included items from Simons's early collections. It also featured home goods like blankets and cushions.

On November 21, 2022, Raf Simons announced that his Spring–Summer 2023 collection would be the last for his own brand. He decided to close it down.

Working with Other Brands

Raf Simons has worked with many other brands. Since 2008, he has created collections with the British brand Fred Perry. He has also designed sunglasses with Linda Farrow since Spring–Summer 2008. Since Fall–Winter 2009, Simons has worked with the shoe company Asics. For his Fall–Winter 2013 show, he announced a new shoe collection with Adidas. It featured five different designs.

Simons has also designed bags with the American company Eastpak. These collaborations happened in Spring–Summer 2008, Fall–Winter 2008, and Spring–Summer 2009. They continued for the Fall–Winter 2013 season.

In 2009, Simons used denim bleached by artist Sterling Ruby. He created a small collection of jeans and jackets. In 2014, Simons worked with Ruby again. They designed a Fall–Winter 2014 collection together. It was shown instead of Simons's own line and was called 'Raf Simons/Sterling Ruby'.

In 2014, Raf Simons started working with the Danish company Kvadrat. This led to a collection of fabrics and accessories. The Kvadrat/Raf Simons collection was praised for its mix of colors and materials. Simons later used these Kvadrat fabrics in his Fall–Winter 2015 menswear collection.

In 2016, Raf Simons worked with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. This was for his Spring–Summer 2017 collection. The collection was first shown at Pitti Uomo in Florence, Italy.

Working at Jil Sander

In June 2005, Simons became the creative director for the Jil Sander brand. This was the first time he designed clothes and accessories for women. He also continued to design the brand's men's collections.

While at Jil Sander, Simons changed the brand's style. He made it less strict and more appealing to more people. He also created a women's line called Jil Sander Navy. In 2010, Simons's work became more imaginative. He presented three collections inspired by haute couture, which is high fashion. These collections played with shapes, colors, and proportions. They were his most feminine designs yet.

Simons left Jil Sander after his Fall–Winter 2012 collection. This was because Jil Sander herself returned to the brand. His last collection for them was very well-received.

Working at Christian Dior

In April 2012, it was announced that Simons would become the creative director at Dior. He took over from John Galliano. However, Simons did not design the menswear collections. Another Belgian designer, Kris Van Assche, remained the creative director for Dior Homme.

Simons's first collection for Haute Couture Fall–Winter 2012 was very popular. He focused on the 1950s style. He used some of Christian Dior's famous shapes, like the A-line and H-line, and the Bar jacket.

Simons said he wanted "to bring some emotion back" to fashion. He felt that there was a lot of amazing clothing, but not much emotion in the fashion world at that time.

In 2014, a documentary called Dior and I was made. It was about Raf Simons creating his first couture collection for Dior. The movie first showed at the Tribeca Film Festival.

On October 22, 2015, Simons left his job as Creative Director for Womenswear at Christian Dior. He had been there for three and a half years. He said he wanted to focus on other things in his life, including his own brand. His departure was friendly, and no one was named as his replacement right away.

Working at Calvin Klein

On August 2, 2016, Calvin Klein, Inc. announced that Simons would be their chief creative officer.

As chief creative officer, Simons was in charge of the creative plans for the entire Calvin Klein brand. This included all their different clothing lines and home products. He also oversaw design, marketing, and visual creative services. After he arrived, Calvin Klein made a deal with the Andy Warhol Foundation. This allowed Simons special access to the Warhol art collection for three years.

Simons's first collection for Calvin Klein came out for the Fall 2017 season. New York Magazine called it "Brilliant."

In December 2018, Calvin Klein and Simons announced they were "amicably parting ways." Calvin Klein decided they wanted a new direction for the brand, different from Simons's creative ideas.

Working at Prada

In 2020, Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, who lead the Prada Group, announced something exciting. They said Simons would become the co-creative director of Prada. The first collection they designed together was shown for spring–summer 2021. It was presented during a fashion show in Milan in September.

Recognition and Awards

• 2003 – Swiss Textiles Award
• 2017 – CFDA Fashion Award, Designer of the Year (for both women's and men's wear)
• 2017 – Designer of the Year, British Fashion Council

See also

In Spanish: Raf Simons para niños