“It’s been a dream for a while to show in London,” says the Belgian fashion designer, who will cross the channel for his upcoming Spring/Summer 2023 presentation
Raf Simons has a habit of surprising us; the fashion scene was spun into a mild frenzy in March 2020 when the Belgian designer announced he was joining forces with Miuccia Prada as the co-creative director of Prada. Later that year, he presented the first womenswear collection at his eponymous label – a highly coveted move, and an area he proved skillful in as creative director of Jil Sander from 2005 to 2012, later at Dior, then at Calvin Klein in 2016. Now the Simons cult has one more reason to rejoice, as it was announced today that the brand is moving the presentation of his Spring/Summer 2023 collection to London.
When he began his career in 1995 presenting menswear collections in Paris, Simons struck a chord with his sensitive perspective on masculinity and reflections on youth culture. His continued approach to subculture has a soft reverence, an intelligent curiosity that melds the motifs and paraphernalia of key movements in music and film into clothing, and incorporates bold slogans and prints onto sensually cut, endlessly desirable fashion that’s trickled down beyond the culture they reference, into the mainstream fashion conscience.
“Growing up, he was drawn to music, to the clothes bands wore,” wrote Alexander Fury in AnOther Magazine A/W19. “Not just Kraftwerk, but Joy Division and Depeche Mode.” Designing clothing inspired by English bands, and his repeat collaborations with the classically British clothing label Fred Perry speaks to his devotion to the diverse youth subcultures densely squeezed into our small island; the upcoming show is bound to nod to London’s rich tapestry of music and style.
“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 explains. “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.”