Raf Simons is a fashion designer, a designer of furniture and, according to TIME magazine, also one of the 100 most influential people in the world in the ICONS category. A Belgium native, who first studied furniture design, one day during his internship with fashion designer Walter Van Beirendonck, found himself at the the fashion show of Martin Margiela and the dice were cast. From that moment on, Raf Simons decided to focus on fashion design.
It didn't take long and in 1995, he founded his own brand. This was not preceded by lengthy studies of the fashion industry or tailoring courses, he basically dove in to the fashion industry head first. It took him only two years to hold his first live fashion show in Paris. After a few years, he started working as a creative director at Jil Sander, where, after seven years, he ended up working as a creative director at the Dior fashion house. Both of these experiences gave him a firm foothold and since 2015, he has moved to the same position with Calvin Klein.
Initially, his inspiration was mainly elements of the alternative culture of young Europeans, also reflected in his later work. Rafa was fascinated by music, culture and the world-view from the perspective of young people. And if it is extravagance you immediately think of, then guess again. Pieces from Rafa Simons' collections have one unifying motif - minimalism. Yet Simons himself doesn't feel like a minimalist. Either way, his work, life and collections should not be missed. Raf Simons is an absolute superstar in his field. The last time Calvin Klein won the award for the best fashion designer for men's and women's clothing in one year was 1993. Calvin Klein - Raf Simons managed it 24 years later, when he was the creative director of Calvin Klein. Quite a coincidence, wouldn’t you say?
His most important collaborations include those with Off-White, Fred Perry, Sterling Ruby or even more affordable ones such as Calvin Klein x Raf Simon or Eastpak x Raf Simons. Best of all, as of 2020, we have managed to stock up Footshop with Raf Simons items , which you can now explore and don his very own designs.
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