Raf Simons label

Encouraged by Linda Loppa, head of the fashion department at the Antwerp Royal Academy, Simons became a self-trained menswear designer and launched his Raf Simons label in 1995.^[12] His first collection was in Fall–Winter 1995, and featured two street models in a video presentation.^[13] From Fall–Winter 1995 to Spring–Summer 1997, Simons's collections were shown either in presentations or videos. Fall–Winter 1997 saw his first runway show in Paris, France, with a look of 'American college students and English schoolboys with a background of New Wave and Punk'.^[14] Simons's early aesthetic incorporated youth culture from divergent sources, such as the Spring–Summer 2000 collection taking inspiration from both MENSA students and the Gabba youth subculture (a predominantly Dutch and Belgian movement associated with hardcore techno music).^[14] Music has formed an integral part of Simons's work, with references to musical figures such as the Manic Street Preachers's Richey Edwards and Joy Division’s Ian Curtis and his Fall–Winter 1998 collection (Radioactivity) featuring looks modelled after members of German electro band Kraftwerk.^[11]

In March 2000, Simons shut down his company to take a sabbatical after his Fall–Winter 2000 collection (Confusion). Following a new deal with Belgian manufacturer, Gysemans Clothing Industry, the company was started back up again for Fall–Winter 2001.^[12] During this time, Simons's international prominence grew with the collection for Spring–Summer 2002 (Woe Onto Those Who Spit On The Fear Generation ...The Wind Will Blow It Back) becoming one of his most influential due to its 'layered, hooded, sinister image of the urban guerrilla'.^[15] The company was restructured in October 2004 with a distribution deal with Futurenet (Europe and USA) and Mitsui & Co. (Asia), followed by a license agreement with Futurepresent (joint-venture of Futurenet and Mitsui Italia).^[16] This deal came to an end with the Spring–Summer 2011 collection.

The aesthetic of the Raf Simons brand has changed since 2005, as former Arena Homme Plus editor Jo-Ann Furniss asserts: "The key turning point was A/W 04-05 (Waves), when the obsessive youth culture codes of his past were turned into clothes that were purely about shape and form."^[17] In June 2005, Raf by Raf Simons was launched, which was sold at a lower price point. Simons also released the book Raf Simons: Redux about the first 10 years of his career. Alongside the publication, there was also an exhibition of Simons's work and an outdoor fashion show at the Pitti Immagine Uomo tradeshow in Florence, Italy for a retrospective of the designer's career at the age of 38.^[18]

In 2008, two flagship Raf Simons stand-alone stores opened in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, in collaboration with the artists Sterling Ruby and Roger Hiorns.^[19] The Autumn–Winter 2009 collection saw the first Raf Simons advertising campaign, photographed by Willy Vanderperre.^[20] In 2011, Raf by Raf Simons was replaced by Raf Simons 1995, a diffusion line incorporating elements from Simons's early collections. Raf Simons 1995 also includes homeware, namely blankets and cushions.

On November 21, 2022, Raf Simons announced via its Social Media Channels that the SS23 collection would be the last collection from the label before he closes it down after the end of the season.^[21]

Jil Sander

In June 2005, Simons was appointed as Creative Director for the Jil Sander label, by its owner the Prada Group (which was later acquired by Change Capital Partners and then GIBO Co. SpA, the Italian subsidiary of Japanese firm Onward Holdings Co. Ltd). This marked the first occasion when the designer had created women's clothing and accessories, whilst also designing the brand's male collections.

During his tenure at Jil Sander, Simons moved the brand's aesthetic from an austere minimalism and expanded its commercial appeal with the creation of a womenswear diffusion line, Jil Sander Navy. In 2010, Simons's work was seen to take a more fanciful turn when he presented the first of three couture-inspired collections, all of which played with the shapes, colors, and proportions associated with haute couture, and were his most feminine to date.^[7]

Rumors that Simons was a serious candidate to replace Yves Saint Laurent designer Stefano Pilati surfaced in the press several times—most recently in September 2011.^[30] Later, the press reported that Simons was interviewing for the creative director slot at Christian Dior, which had remained vacant since John Galliano was fired in March 2011.^[30] Simons's last collection for Jil Sander was Fall–Winter 2012, following his dismissal by Onward Holdings in favour of Jil Sander's return. The collection was well received.^[31]

Christian Dior

In April 2012, it was announced that Simons would replace John Galliano as creative director at the helm of Dior, ending a period of transition after Galliano's dismissal from the role.^[32] However, he did not design the menswear collections, as fellow Belgian designer Kris van Assche remained as Dior Homme creative director.

Simons's first collection for Haute Couture Fall–Winter 2012 was well-received as the designer focused on the 1950s by playing with some of Christian Dior's famous silhouettes: the A line and the H line, and the Bar jacket.^[33]

Simons said he aims “to bring some emotion back, to what I felt in the nineties, because I see a lot of amazing clothes, but I don’t see a lot of emotion now.”^[8]

In 2014, Frédéric Tcheng wrote and directed a documentary, called Dior and I, or Dior et moi in French, about Raf Simons "as he created his first couture collection for Dior".^[34] The documentary's world premiere was at the Tribeca Film Festival.^[34]

On October 22, 2015, Simons resigned from his post as the Creative Director of Womenswear for Christian Dior^[35] following a three and a half year stint at the brand. In a statement, the designer stated "It is a decision based entirely and equally on my desire to focus on other interests in my life, including my own brand, and passions that drive me outside my work." The departure was reportedly amicable and no replacement was immediately named.

Calvin Klein

On August 2, 2016, Calvin Klein, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of PVH Corp., announced Simon's appointment as chief creative officer of the brand.

As CCO, Simons led the creative strategy of the Calvin Klein brand globally across the Calvin Klein Collection, Calvin Klein Platinum, Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans, Calvin Klein Underwear and Calvin Klein Home brands. He also oversaw all aspects of Design, Global Marketing and Communications, and Visual Creative Services. Following his arrival, Calvin Klein entered into an agreement with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts on allowing Simons unprecedented access to the Warhol archive for three years.^[36]

Simons' first collection debuted for the Fall 2017 season, on which the New York Magazine stated that "The Most Anticipated Fashion Show in Decades Turned Out to Be Brilliant".^[37]

In December 2018, Calvin Klein and Simons announced they are ‘amicably parting ways’, after Calvin Klein "decided on a new brand direction different from Simons" creative vision.^[38]

Prada

In 2020, Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, the creative director and chief executive of the Prada Group, announced Simons's appointment as co-creative director of Prada.^[39] The first co-designed collection is to be unveiled for spring–summer 2021 during a fashion show in Milan in September.^[6][40]