Raf Simons FW22 Serves Sinister Nightclub-Ready Leathers
Alongside co-ed outerwear, skin-tight vinyl aprons, fuzzy hats and couture-ified bags.
There are few designers that set the tone for the season like Raf Simons. Every show brings a different aesthetic from the designer’s mind, and while there’s always a thread of commonality in his work, each presentation is an elevation of what came before it. No exception has been made for Simons’ just-debuted Fall/Winter 2022 co-ed collection.
For FW22, Simons presented familiar materials and styles in new silhouettes, ones that are more form-fitting than his previous signature oversized nature. Perhaps it stems from his first-ever womenswear range for Spring 2021, which was littered with skin-tight neoprene pieces covered in swirly ’70s graphics, or maybe it’s from his time at Prada that’s encouraged Simons to play with new shapes.
Regardless, it’s paid off this season. Brushed cotton and mohair appears heavily, both as a hat that drapes down like a cape and as a standout coat served in burnt orange and aubergine purple, while blazers utilize the same material and deck the fuzziness in petrol blue, all of which are rounded out with Raf Simons’ signature cuff-placed branding.
Underneath these looks are vinyl leather apron dressed in black, clinging to the skin around the clavicle but falling below the knee, not quite hitting the elongated leather boots that are accented with a small heel. These looks are the epitome of work hard, play harder, as formal double-breasted coats in lush fabrics cover up the Berghain special underneath.
This is continued with black vinyl leather coats, akin to Simons’ FW20 presentation of awkwardly restrained outerwear and slim-fitting leather coats, or FW19’s black leather cherry-covered coat, only here they’re sinister rather than sultry. Now-signature bomber jackets also appear, ranging from classic black staples to elongated floor-length iterations, while more vinyl drapes in dress form in ugly-chic hues such as pale mustard or in forest green for the overalls.
Elsewhere, we find plenty of hats made from materials that frequent the outerwear, some shaped like a police officer’s hat and others covering the face, while bags are Simons’ most couture-ified ever, shimmering in satins and oversized to dramatic proportions.
Take a look at Raf Simons’ FW22 collection in the gallery above. The designer’s SS22 collection will be available in stores very soon, as well.
For more moody looks, check out Daniel W. Fletcher’s Fall 2022 collection.
