Raf Simons facts for kids

Raf Jan Simons (born 12 January 1968) is a famous fashion designer from Belgium. He started his career designing furniture but soon switched to fashion. He launched his own clothing brand for men in 1995.

Over the years, Simons has been a top designer, called a creative director, for some of the world's biggest fashion brands. He worked for Jil Sander from 2005 to 2012, Christian Dior from 2012 to 2015, and Calvin Klein from 2016 to 2018. Since 2020, he has been the co-creative director of Prada, working alongside Miuccia Prada.

Early Life and School

Raf Simons was born in Neerpelt, Belgium. His father, Jacques Simons, was an army night watchman, and his mother, Alda Beckers, was a house cleaner.

In 1991, Simons graduated from the LUCA School of Arts in Genk with a degree in Industrial Design and Furniture Design. During his school years, he and his friends often talked about fashion, especially designers like Helmut Lang and Martin Margiela.

After graduating, he worked as a furniture designer. He also had an internship at the design studio of Walter Van Beirendonck, who was another important designer. Van Beirendonck took Simons to Paris Fashion Week, where he saw his very first fashion show. The show, by Martin Margiela, was so inspiring that it made Simons decide to become a fashion designer himself.

Fashion Career

The 'Raf Simons' Brand

A spiderweb sweater from the "Radioactivity" collection in 1998. (RISD Museum)

With encouragement from Linda Loppa, a teacher at the Antwerp Royal Academy, Simons taught himself how to design menswear. In 1995, he started his own brand, called Raf Simons.

His first collections were inspired by youth culture. For example, one show in Paris had looks based on 'American college students and English schoolboys'. Music was also a big part of his work. He was inspired by bands like the Manic Street Preachers and Kraftwerk.

In 2000, Simons took a short break from his company. He started it again in 2001 and became even more famous around the world. One of his most influential collections from 2002 featured layered, hooded outfits that looked like modern city explorers.

In 2005, he launched a second line called Raf by Raf Simons, which was sold at a lower price. He also released a book called Raf Simons: Redux to celebrate the first 10 years of his brand.

In November 2022, Simons announced that his brand would close. The Spring/Summer 2023 collection was its last one.

Working with Other Brands

Simons has worked with many other famous companies. These projects are often called collaborations.

• Since 2008, he has designed collections with the British brand Fred Perry.
• He has created sunglasses with Linda Farrow.
• He has designed running shoes with Asics and Adidas.
• He has also made bags with the American company Eastpak.
• In 2014, he worked with artist Sterling Ruby to design a whole collection.
• He also created a collection of fabrics with the Danish company Kvadrat.

Jil Sander (2005–2012)

In 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 designed the men's collections.

During his time there, he made the brand's style more creative and colorful. He created three collections inspired by haute couture (high-end, custom-fitted clothing), which were very popular. His last collection for Jil Sander was in 2012.

Christian Dior (2012–2015)

In April 2012, Simons was named the new creative director for Dior's womenswear. This was a very important job in the fashion world.

His first collection for Dior was inspired by the brand's classic looks from the 1950s. He wanted to bring more emotion and feeling back into fashion. A documentary film called Dior and I was made in 2014. It showed Simons as he created his first collection for Dior.

In October 2015, Simons left his job at Dior. He said he wanted to focus on other things in his life, including his own brand.

Calvin Klein (2016–2018)

In August 2016, Simons was hired as the chief creative officer at Calvin Klein. He was in charge of the creative direction for all of the brand's products, from high fashion to underwear and home goods.

His first collection was a huge success. New York Magazine called it "brilliant." However, in December 2018, Simons and Calvin Klein announced they were parting ways because they had different ideas for the brand's future.

Prada (2020–Present)

In 2020, Simons joined Prada as a co-creative director. He works together with Miuccia Prada, the head of the company. This was a big surprise in the fashion world, as it is rare for two major designers to share the top job at a brand. Their first collection together was for Spring/Summer 2021.

Other Projects and Interests

Besides fashion, Simons is also very interested in art. He advises an art collection in Belgium and collects art for himself. His personal collection includes works by artists like Mike Kelley and Cindy Sherman.

He has also curated (organized) several art exhibitions. He often works with artists, photographers, and stylists on his fashion collections and shows. His longtime partners include photographer Willy Vanderperre and stylist Olivier Rizzo.

Recognition

Raf Simons has won several major awards for his work in fashion.

• 2003 – Swiss Textiles Award
• 2017 – CFDA Fashion Award for both Womenswear and Menswear Designer of the Year
• 2017 – Designer of the Year from the British Fashion Council

See also

In Spanish: Raf Simons para niños