Raf Simons Launches His First Womenswear Collection

NEWS | December 10, 2020

Photo: Raf Simons spring-summer 2021 fashion show

On Friday, October 23rd, Raf Simons passed on the traditional Fashion Week calendar in favor of a 2.0 unveiling of the Spring-Summer 2021 collections. It's the ideal opportunity for the Belgian designer to launch his very first Women's line, to the delight of fans.

Named co-art director at Prada alongside Miuccia Prada in February 2020, Raf Simons' name undoubtedly carries a certain clout. Having already worked at Jil Sander, Dior, and Calvin Klein, the designer has just revealed his first women's line with a mixed collection dubbed "Teenage Dream." Rather than a physical fashion show, Simons opted for a hypnotic, 18-minute-long film, directed by the creative himself and set to unsettling beats composed by Senjan Jansen.

The collection, inspired by teen films like Hair, The Breakfast Club, Zabriskie Point Barbarella, is brimming with winks to youth culture, with messages on the clothes open to individual interpretation: pullovers emblazoned with phrases like "Children of the revolution — Welcome Home," and "Disorder" patchwork dresses marked "Youth Against," and tops with inscriptions such as "Teenage Dream" and "Disarm." In oversize jackets that graze the floor and ponchos in psychedelic prints, models float across floors of yellow flowers and brush shoulders with peers in parkas featuring translucent corsets, long dresses with billowing sleeves, and oversized sweaters reminiscent of the designer's favorite wardrobe staple.

The color palette — hot pink, royal purple, poppy red, mustard yellow, and more — is particularly photogenic and provides stark contrast with the somber, mysterious closing looks characterized by enveloping coats and gothic accents. Sleeves are hiked up to the shoulders, and spectators will also get to see photographs from Raf's studio team. Here, feminine silhouettes coexist with masculine ones in a game of optical ping-pong. Cuts, colors, and patterns enter into dialogue and fuse in a visual performance of gender fluidity. The designer's radically avant-garde sensibility shines through each shot, with sharp, clean lines attesting to the attitude of an eternal rebel.