The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Designer Raf Simons is set to close his namesake brand. The brand’s spring-summer 2023 collection shown in London in October will be its last, Simons said in a statement posted on Instagram Monday.
“I lack the words to share how proud I am,” Simons said. “Thank you all for believing in our vision and for believing in me.”
Raf Simons, founded in Belgium in 1995, was a groundbreaking menswear label known for its skinny silhouettes and focus on youth culture. The brand propelled Simons to fashion industry prominence, helping the designer land top jobs at Jil Sander, Dior and Calvin Klein before Prada, where he currently serves as co-creative director alongside the company’s controlling shareholder, Miuccia Prada.
While the Raf Simons line remained a tiny business compared to the designers’ mega-brand employers, it was one of fashion week’s hottest tickets thanks to its rebellious ethos and trendsetting play with colour and materials.
Stay tuned to BoF for updates on this developing story.
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As the French luxury group attempts to get back on track, investors, former insiders and industry observers say the group needs a far more drastic overhaul than it has planned, reports Bloomberg.
Balenciaga’s deputy CEO Laura du Rusquec will replace Andrea Baldo as the Danish brand aims to elevate its image.