The House of Dior
to the golden age of branding
from the golden age of couture
official website/ www.dior.com
Raf Simons/
photo/ David Sims, Vogue, 2012
Raf Simons was born in January 1968 to Jacques Simons and Alda Beckers in Neerpelt, a small village in Belgium. He is an only child. “I am superproud of my parents—my mother was a cleaning lady, and my father was a night watchman in the army,” said Simons to Mark Holgate of Vogue. “And now I stand in this world, and yeah, it’s a bourgeois environment, in a house that’s seen in France as the most important position in fashion, along with Chanel. But I don’t care about that. What I find amazing is that it’s a beautiful house where I can make clothes to make women happy. I was raised in a very happy nest by very happy people, and I like to think that those are enough ingredients to make me succeed at Dior.”
“Look at Raf’s parents, and you will see him. He’s a supersweet guy who just ended up in a superglamorous place almost by accident. He understands that; he’s really happy about it and doesn’t feel like he has to try.”
Marc Foxx, gallerist and friend/
On April 2012 LVMH appointed Belgian self taught designer Raf Simons as artistic director of Christian Dior haute couture, women’s ready-to-wear, and accessories collections. "Monsieur Dior's first collection radically changed the codes of elegance all over the world. Following the legacy of its founder, Raf Simons' journey with the house of Dior will propel its iconic style into the 21st Century", said the announcement.
In 2000 Raf Simons closed his business to take a sabbatical. Following a new deal with Belgian manufacturer, Gysemans Clothing Industry, the company was back on track in 2001.
He was head professor of the fashion department of the University of Applied Arts, Vienna, from 2000 to 2005. In November 2003 he won the Swiss Textiles Award.
In 2005 Raf Simons was appointed menswear and womenswear creative director of Jil Sander. Seven years later, he was replaced by the label's founder Jil Sander, who would return to the label having previously left in 2004.
"When I just don’t want to walk out on that runway anymore, I’ll hire someone like Raf Simons to do it for me.”
Tom Ford 1999/
In 1990 Raf Simons started an internship with Belgian designer Walter Van Beirendonck and one year later he graduated from college in Genk with a degree in Industrial and Furniture Design. Then he moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where he launched his Raf Simons label.
“Probably the most influential menswear designer of the last decade.”
Cathy Horyn of The New York Times/
There was great anticipation as guests arrived for Simons' first Christian Dior Couture show in July 2012. Known for his minimalist designs, Simons brought to Dior a fresh, clean spirit with enchanting references to the unforgettable Christian Dior's early designs. The collection was "a nostalgia for the future", as Simons described. The intellectual Belgian received enthusiastic reviews on his debut.
"I haven’t been this excited to see a show in a long time. Today I’m going to see something I’ve never seen before.”
Emmanuelle Alt, Editor in chief of French Vogue/
"Raf Simons is an extraordinarily talented designer.
[...] He combines great skill and vision with modernity and a point of view, which is essential for leading fashion houses today."
Alexandra Shulman, Editor in chief of British Vogue, 2012/
"It is with the utmost respect for its tremendous history, its unparalleled knowledge and craftsmanship that I am joining the magnificent house of Dior. [...] Mr Christian Dior has always been for me the most inspiring couturier. Around the globe, the name Dior symbolises the ultimate in elegance and refinement. I am truly humbled and honoured to become artistic director of the most celebrated French house in the world."
Raf Simons 2012/
"I want 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”
Raf Simons/
Raf Simons has presented four collections for Christian Dior, two ready-to-wear and two haute couture.
In January 2013, only 12 fashion houses presented haute couture collections:
Alexis Mabille
Armani Privé
Atelier Versace
Bouchra Jarrar
Chanel
Christian Dior
Elie Saab
Giambattista Valli
Jean Paul Gaultier
Maison Martin Margiela
Ulyana Sergeenko
and Valentino.
Haute couture is a new pathway for Simons, which seems to be managing quite wonderfully. Simons can be the person to bring harmony and move the house to the next level.
In addition, sales increased within 2012. In today's fast-paced world of recession, at the end of the day, it's all about making sales.
A new -exciting- era at 30 Avenue Montaigne has only just begun!
"You go to Chanel, and you recognize the codes, the woman, straight away. But the Dior woman? Except for some dresses and the full skirts, it would be hard to pull her out of a crowd. Those jackets, which women can wear the way they want, it’s something I want to build on. People told me afterward, ‘Wow, it’s clear where you want to go.’ ”
Raf Simons 2012/
more on Raf Simons/
2012 interview to Mark Holgate of Vogue, "Monsieur Simons: Raf Simons at Dior"
2013 interview to "The Talks"
video/ Raf Simons' interview on Christian Dior haute couture A/W 2012
film/ Raf Simons S/S 2013 directed by Pierre Debusschere
film/ Raf Simons X Fred Perry S/S 2013 directed by Pierre Debusschere
The Raf Simons label is still running today (May 2013), along with Simons' collaboration with Fred Perry.
video/ Christian Dior S/S 2013 haute couture show in Shanghai
video/ Raf Simons' interview on Christian Dior ready-to-wear S/S 2013
photos/ Marcus Tondo (InDigitalteam), Christian Dior haute couture S/S 2013
