Raf Simons Closes Namesake Label After 27 Years
Spring/Summer 2023 marked the brand’s final collection.
Raf Simons sent a shockwave through fashion on Monday afternoon, announcing the official conclusion of his namesake design label. In a brief letter, he confirmed that his recently debuted Spring/Summer 2023 collection was the imprint’s last effort, before expressing his gratitude for all those who adored and worked with the fashion brand over its almost three decades of path-carving work.
“The Spring/Summer 2023 collection is the conclusion of an extraordinary 27 year journey and the final season of the Raf Simons fashion brand,” the designer wrote.
“I lack the words to share how proud I am of all that we have achieved,” he added. “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.”
He concluded, “Thank you all, for believing in our vision and for believing in me.”
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Since entering the industry in 1995, Simons has become one of fashion’s most pivotal visionaries, thanks to his forward-thinking collections under his eponymous brand and terms as creative director at Jil Sander and Dior, chief creative officer at Calvin Klein, and currently, co-creative director at Prada. With his own label, Simons was able to reorient pop culture and art through a signature, youthful design approach that remained consistent throughout each of his designs.
His first collection, which was shot as an 8mm film in 1995, offered a small offering of menswear items; and two years later, he staged his first runway show at Paris’ Impasse de Mont-Louis. In the early aughts, Simons’ collections were daring. Take Spring 2002, for example, when the designer sent models down the runway wearing face coverings and carrying lit flares, or Spring 2007, when Simons’ penchants for deconstruction and reconstruction melded into one, on full display.
His namesake brand also saw Simons collaborate with Sterling Ruby on numerous occasions: most notably, for Fall 2014, the designer tapped the Los Angeles-based artist for a collaborative menswear collection that referenced American culture and heritage. Later, for Spring 2017, Simons presented at Pitti Uomo, with 57 looks made in collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. And for Spring 2018, Simons was most-talked-about, with a collection defined by the codes of Blade Runner, New Order and the classics.
In recent years, Simons’ eponymous collections have proven that his influence on fashion is immeasurable. For Spring 2023, the brand’s final collection, Simons made his London debut with a collection that looked beyond the obvious, specifically with a very wearable range that bent his own house rules. In light of the label’s closure, revisit Raf Simons’ final collection, here.
While the news seals the conclusion of Raf Simons as a brand, it does not mark the end of Simons’ career as a designer. He will continue working as co-creative director of Prada, a position that he has held since 2020, alongside Miuccia Prada.
Elsewhere, Supreme has reconnected with The North Face for a second Fall 2022 collection.
