Raf Simons (1968-) is
a Belgian fashion designer.
He studied industrial
design, but after a few
years of self-study he
became a menswear designer
in 1995. Initially he worked
with
Walter Van Beirendonck
in Paris, where he was
exposed to the work of
Martin Margiela and
Jean-Paul Gaultier.
His collections (menswear
only) are strongly
influenced by youth culture
albeit in an indirect way.
He often combines strongly
cut classic menswear with
baggy streetwear-influenced
items. Simons' style has
been described as highly
influential. He is being
cited as one of the most
important innovators in
contemporary menswear by the
international press. He
presents his collections
twice a year, usually in
Paris, but works and lives
in Antwerp, Belgium.
In summer 2005 he was
appointed as creative
director for the
Jil
Sander label,
owned by the
Prada
Group. He also announced the
creation of a second own
menswear line, "Raf by Raf
Simons", to be launched in
2006.