Raf Simons always seems to have a surprise up his sleeves. The Belgian designer sent the fashion industry into a frenzy in March 2020 when he announced that he was joining Prada as co-creative director. The same year the designer presented a womenswear collection for his eponymous brand. The designer has effortlessly succeeded in the role at Jill Sander, Dior, and Calvin Klein. Now, Simons has got us talking again when it was announced that he will be presenting his Spring/Summer 2023 collection at London Fashion Week in the English capital in September.
Simons will line up alongside some of the biggest names in the industry, including Burberry, JW Anderson, Emilia Wickstead, as well as LVMH Prize winners Nensi Dojaka and S. S. Daley.
“It’s been a dream for a while to show in London – a city where fashion and creativity is omnipresent in the streets and where I see exceptional people with a strong unique style,” Simons said.“I’m extremely excited that this dream is becoming a reality now, and I’m very happy to welcome the amazing people and faces that make up the London scene to my show. Can’t wait to see you and dance the night away.”
Since his first menswear collection was presented in Paris in 1995, the designer has developed a sensitive perspective on youth culture and masculinity. He continues today to approach subculture with a soft reverence, and a curiosity that fuses motifs with movements from film and music and applies them to clothing while incorporating bold prints onto luxuriously cut fabric. Through these designs, the designer transfers these pieces of clothing beyond the subculture, and into mainstream fashion.
The inclusion of Simons and JW Anderson in London Fashion Week is an exciting prospect for the week, and it’s a move likely to bring some of their most ardent fans to London too. It’s said that Kanye West took Simons as an inspiration for his YEEZY Season 1 collection. Meanwhile, A$AP Rocky’s love for the Belgian designer reached a peak in 2017, when along with Quavo, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Frank Ocean, A$AP MOB released “RAF” a track in his honour. You can check it out below.
