I feel ready to talk about Raf Simons, because now that his namesake line has been closed it seems to me like his legacy is misunderstood.
Raf Simons is a postmodernist. From his first collection (FW 95) through his work for Prada, Raf Simons has always had similar qualities:
- Raf’s work is conceptual, and every garment he/his team has ever designed is far more focused on the piece’s references to other conceptual entities than the piece itself.
- Raf’s work is reactive to the moment. In an abstract manner, it is always representative of a stance pertaining to current political, social, cultural, and/or sub-cultural qualities of the zeitgeist.
- Raf’s work is highly referential, more than innovative. This mainly applies to the Raf Simons brand - after his tenure at Jil Sander, most of his designs became very docile and were mainly elevated by references to literature, photography, and some abstract art.
I love design, and as such, Raf Simons is not my favorite designer. However, his influence on fashion cannot be overlooked. He has been the creative director for incredible maisons, including Ruffo Research, Jil Sander, Dior, Calvin Klein, and Prada.