Product Gallery
Video
Raf Simons
In just two decades, the Belgian designer Raf Simons has headed four of the world’s most prestigious fashion houses, transformed the silhouette of men’s fashion, and reimagined the way street style and fine art can influence design. Restless and yet fully-actualized in his aesthetic from the start, Simons continually manages to surprise while reasserting his sharp, fearless vision.
Simons studied industrial and furniture design in Genk, but an internship at Walter Van Beirendonck set the stage for his life in fashion. In 1995, he founded his own menswear label, specializing in razor-thin suiting. By the turn of the century, men around the world had tightened up their apparel. Two months before 9/11, Simons showed a controversial collection accessorized by face-coverings and lit flares. Four years later, he introduced sex appeal to minimalism as head of men’s and womenswear for Jil Sander. In 2012, Dior came calling; in response, he provided edgy takes on smoking suits and pastel couture as creative director. Simons shocked the industry by resigning in 2016, launching a collection under his own name that applied Robert Mapplethorpe’s homoerotic photography to streetwear, then joining Americana icon Calvin Klein as chief creative officer. His kitsch collaborations with Sterling Ruby and taxicab-yellow makeover of John Pawson’s minimalist temple of a Madison Avenue flagship attracted major attention, but after two years Simons moved on again.
In 2014, Simons initiated an ongoing collaboration with Kvadrat, utilizing the Danish master’s innovative textiles in a Calvin Klein collection. The apparel was such a success that the pair decided to bring the fabrics home, for a series of textile collections marrying Simon’s severe wit and Kvadrat’s peerless fabrications. Meanwhile, the catwalk came calling again: in April 2020, Simons joined Prada in the role of co-creative director.
More in Textiles
View All![Sahco Silkwood Inspiration 2](https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/s/sahco-silkwood-fabric/Sahco-Silkwood-Inspiration-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=800&s=9871d18e59f12e9f6280df6ed334c30b 800w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/s/sahco-silkwood-fabric/Sahco-Silkwood-Inspiration-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=600&s=6c00ed1ceb34980eed5345cdc20328bc 600w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/s/sahco-silkwood-fabric/Sahco-Silkwood-Inspiration-2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=300&s=cd2c274ad8764005df54ac2d197e452c 300w)
by Lori Weirzner
for Sahco
Sahco Silkwood Fabric
![Lila Doshi Levien Kvadrat 4](https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-lila-fabric/Lila_Doshi_Levien_Kvadrat_4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=978&s=d23472588e151816bfb0ad974169bc6c 978w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-lila-fabric/Lila_Doshi_Levien_Kvadrat_4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=600&s=792404e8007dbaa46a84eaa6a2064cf9 600w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-lila-fabric/Lila_Doshi_Levien_Kvadrat_4.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=300&s=620bb4e3aaf4252f1f6e80cc244254e2 300w)
by Doshi Levien
for Kvadrat
Kvadrat Lila Fabric
![Tonus 4 Nina Koppel Kvadrat 2](https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-tonus-4-fabric/Tonus_4_Nina_Koppel_Kvadrat_2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=1000&s=7f1991661390d24ee6c937ac555742b2 1000w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-tonus-4-fabric/Tonus_4_Nina_Koppel_Kvadrat_2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=600&s=41d01f2ce36124d7c7cda4203955cb30 600w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-tonus-4-fabric/Tonus_4_Nina_Koppel_Kvadrat_2.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=300&s=4916eb00068b073e27783826d4bf2be1 300w)
by Nina Koppel
for Kvadrat
Kvadrat Tonus 4 Fabric
More in Raf Simons
View All![Kvadrat Vidar 4 Raf Simons](https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-vidar-4-fabric/Kvadrat-Vidar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=1389&s=fb2755d31ddd4ed11213a578d4583bb3 1389w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-vidar-4-fabric/Kvadrat-Vidar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=1000&s=9dd7a0e1a6cb0df07b95ee9e85140b15 1000w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-vidar-4-fabric/Kvadrat-Vidar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=600&s=a39e9eefbb8ab11165f659b9c3fc0a00 600w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-vidar-4-fabric/Kvadrat-Vidar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=300&s=8d1330b314dcf0a5a6cc161798be362e 300w)
by Raf Simons
for Kvadrat
Kvadrat Vidar 4 Fabric
![Kvadrat Sonar 3 Raf Simons](https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-sonar-3-fabric/Kvadrat-Sonar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=1389&s=51a8174e947664969552770e45fde044 1389w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-sonar-3-fabric/Kvadrat-Sonar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=1000&s=478e9ba2f40c7b1fa2bda26750eb1126 1000w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-sonar-3-fabric/Kvadrat-Sonar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=600&s=bca1836e78c901e89b61546ac59f7aa0 600w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-sonar-3-fabric/Kvadrat-Sonar-3.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=300&s=c210472387ab1d022649c924d5bf5c41 300w)
by Raf Simons
for Kvadrat
Kvadrat Sonar 3 Fabric
![Kvadrat Atom Raf Simons](https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-atom-fabric/Kvadrat-Atom.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=1389&s=fe2413e614b5a7040224f9f6b3edb091 1389w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-atom-fabric/Kvadrat-Atom.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=1000&s=af1662eb6edee7af5867d20466447eef 1000w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-atom-fabric/Kvadrat-Atom.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=600&s=72acdf630cddad468bbfc0d45866453e 600w, https://context-gallery.imgix.net/products/k/kvadrat-atom-fabric/Kvadrat-Atom.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=clip&q=60&w=300&s=66454a86ac41e93806a2c3d01dd2f28b 300w)
by Raf Simons
for Kvadrat