Raf Simons: End of An Era, Or The Start of Something New?

Raf Simons at Raf Simons has come to a startling end. On Monday, the designer announced that his Spring/Summer 2023 collection would be his last under his eponymous label, and it’s got the fashion world in its feels.

There’s always been an air of ageless ambiguity to everything Raf Simons touches. Fall 2001’s “Riot! Riot! Riot!” collection is just as poignant and relevant today as the Belgian designer’s recent SS23 show; both daringly desirable, collectible, avant-garde, and current. But little did the fashion industry know that, when they clambered into Printworks in October, the celebratory rave would also be Simons’ last.

Raf Simons, Fall/Winter 2001 “Riot! Riot! Riot!”.Raf Simons

Monday’s announcement sent shockwaves through the glitterati and fans alike. “What’s happening?” they asked. “BRB crying,” they quipped. Others, such as avid Raf Simons collector David Casavant, took the opportunity to examine what this might all mean: “It isn’t the end, it’s just the end of a body of work. Raf the artist is still alive. His work under the ‘Raf Simons’ brand is just complete,” he told Hypebeast.

But throughout the fashion scene was one shared message, something Casavant also shared with us – “The fact ‘Raf Simons’ the brand died at 27 is even more iconic.” Looking back, it’s been an incredible run for one of the most highly lauded and credited designers of our generation.

It would be almost impossible to dissect every aspect and momentous occasion of Simons’ career. Interning for Walter Van Beirendonck, alongside his study of industrial and furniture design in Genk, Belgium, in 1989, was undoubtedly a formative moment for Raf. It was here Simons got a taste for fashion, being invited by WvB to Martin Margiela’s SS90 “All White” show. Per Business of Fashion, Simons said, “It was such a fascinating period in Belgium. There were so many things going on – the Antwerp Six; [the] Belgian New Beat was taking off and bringing a new sound and dress code with it; and then there was Margiela. From the moment he did his first show in Paris, he was the one. Everyone was obsessed with Martin.” That obsessed group included Simons.

From here, Simons developed a friendship with the likes of Willy Vanderpere – someone he’d later go on to work with numerous times – before founding his eponymous brand in 1995, largely inspired to do so because of his social circle. His foray into the fashion world for FW95 was tightly edited; a stark white background contrasted a predominantly formal black uniform-like selection of car coats, modish striped tank tops, crisp button-downs, fat ties and tight turtle necks that are just as pertinent today as they were 26 years ago.

Not only was this a game-changing moment for the designer, but a refresher for the industry he now called home. Simons was a self-trained talent; there was no elitist education or nepo-baby leg-up here. This inspired many future designers to dream of success like Simons’, proving you can do it too (just take a look at Matthieu Blazy’s trajectory, who cut his teeth under Simons in 2007).

For FW97, Simons presented his first physical runway show in Paris to a high-praising audience, as his ability to combine the new-wave British zeitgeist with then-feminized undertones and a punkish twist was nothing short of seminal and rebellious – two words that would go on to become a cornerstone of his identity, influence, and impact.

His career would be defined by moves that set him apart from the rest. Street casting was a must, highlighting Raf’s synergy with the youth of London, Paris and Antwerp, who would also be seen regularly in his clothes away from the runway and on it. His choice of music was just as angsty energy as the stroppy teenagers he used as his muse, tapping the likes of Kraftwerk, David Bowie, Pink Floyd, and most recently, the DJ Clara 3000 to soundtrack his shows. Artistic references pulled from New Order and Joy Division (resulting in those infamously pricey parkas), as well as Sterling Ruby, Robert Mapplethorpe, and Northern Soul music continued to make Simons a designer who understood the tone of the consumer, one that wanted to feel a part of something special.

Raf Simons, Fall/Winter 2003 “Closer.”Raf Simons

Furthermore, Simons’ archive collections remain so sought-after that he revisited them with the launch of the “Archive Redux” division. We shouldn’t use prices as an indicator of success, but you cannot disregard the five-figure sums his “Riot! Riot! Riot!” bomber jacket consistently fetches on the secondary market. Elsewhere, his work for Jil Sander and Dior has become grail-worthy for its simplicity and elusive nature, much like his own brand’s older work.

This was the mass appeal of Raf Simons.

His standing as a youth oracle and highly-esteemed Creative Director for Jil Sander began to wane. The provocative design that made his clothing so exciting seemed to run dry around the same time he became the Creative Director of Calvin Klein 205W39NYC – the fashion-forward CK label that was, to most, too ahead of its time for the House.

In 2019, Simons took to the stage of Fashion Talks for his first public appearance following his CK departure. Speaking to a crowd 800 people deep, he discussed the difficulty of working for such an established House and how targets versus creativity often clash: “It’s just very different. That’s how fashion shifts all the time to a new kind of system – that’s not a good word, but although, I think right now everything becomes very systematic and in a hardcore way. Too much connected to the time schedules that relate purely and only to commerce and economics. Click connections, post connections, but it doesn’t count for my brand.”

This explains why he and CK fell out of love, and it may even go as far to explain where Raf Simons — the brand — is today. His collections are on sale en masse, and his work for Calvin Klein 205W39NYC was well-known for sitting on the racks of TK Maxx, as CK’s consumers were not accustomed to Raf’s way of design.

Fast forward to Spring/Summer 2023 and it all seemed like a positive change was on the horizon. Printworks — a London techno rave scene institution — plus “Fashion’s Favorite New It-Girl DJ” Clara 3000, and 800 onlookers from both the antiquated fashion industry and the budding students of universities (that Raf Simons is so evidently inspired by) came together for a much-anticipated London Fashion Week debut. At the time this was a celebration, but as it turns out it has become the designer’s own farewell, giving his audience and the “Don’t touch my Raf” crowd the party they’d always wanted from the brand, one tinged with nods to Berlin’s Berghain as London’s Printworks is so often compared to.

Raf Simons, Spring/Summer 2023.Giovanni Giannoni/Courtesy Of Raf Simons

“I didn’t want a show for 300 people sitting in rows,” he told Vogue. “This is a show that’s pure democracy. No hierarchy. A London explosion of youth, life, dancing, and being together… I was thinking a lot about the body, in relation to dressing up and going out and performing.” Paired with phrases printed onto garments haphazardly, taken from the late Belgian painter Philippe Vandenberg that read “Kill them all and dance.” It felt like Raf was back.

Despite this fresh injection of energy and ingenuity, the designer took to Instagram to announce his departure from his own label. “I lack the words to share how proud I am of all that we have achieved,” he wrote. “I am grateful for the incredible support from my team, from my collaborators, from the press and buyers, from my friends and family, and from our devoted fans and loyal followers. Thank you all, for believing in our vision and for believing in me.”

It’s now a sad time for loyal fans of the brand – so much so, many notable figures are too stunned to speak. But is the move one that might see Simons step into new avenues now his label is set to become defunct? More importantly, will he become the sole Creative Director of Prada?

It seems like a widespread understanding that this could be the case. Others are hoping the legendary designer will explore alternative opportunities; homeware under his own name or Kvadrat’s, maybe art per his interview with GQ – “I will do other things with Sterling [Ruby]. It’s very natural.” Or, he will just hold on to the past in honor: “I started to realize: You have to take care of your archive. It has a relevance to people and to the world. Certain companies do not hold a good archive and it is almost sad. I understand the nature of it.”

We cannot know anything for sure – but a bountiful career at Prada isn’t just on the horizon, it’s already in the works. His collections have been widely well-received, deemed highly wearable moments of contemporary men’s and womenswear for a new, deep-pocketed generation. His ability to reference the past — sci-fi domesticity, a “Body of Work,” schoolboy cues, or his inaugural, introspective collection for the House – may be where the designer’s future lies. We already know Raf Simons is “a Prada fan, a Prada watcher, a Prada wearer” – and in all likelihood, Raf looks set to be a fully-evolved Prada designer, too.

Simons is a once-in-a-generation great, loved by not just his followers but his peers. While his brand is coming to an end its legacy will live on, no doubt doubling-down on its grail-worthy status. If he can distil his learning into his output at Prada, we’re in for much more from the icon that is Raf.