Raf Simons - Designer, Co-Creative Director of Prada

[Boomer]

Will the July HC Collection be his?

 

[pohan]

Will the July HC Collection be his?

Yes, it will be his first for Dior.

 

[Creative]

He got what he wanted so desperately for over a year now. People at Jil Sander were too kind to him, even when he used the brand to lobby for the postion of creative director at Christian Dior...

 

[Morphe]

I don't know.. being kicked out of my job is not my definition of kindness.

 

[jmrmartinho]

^Hahaha you´re right.

 

[Marc10]

Raf, Irreverent: The Designer On His Dior Debut

Raf Simons has been remarkably upbeat all week. You might imagine the pressure of a debut on Christian Dior’s haute couture stage would weigh heavy on someone who made his rep as the shaman of modern menswear, but he was in fist-pumpin’, high-fivin’, kid-in-a-candy-store form when we crossed paths at Dior HQ the other day. You dream, and you have the elves to turn that dream into crystalline reality. Who wouldn’t feel good? Still, I thought it was charming that Raf brought Cris Brodahl paintings from his Antwerp, Belgium, apartment to make his post-show interview room feel a little more like home. Oh, and about those interviews…
—Tim Blanks

You’ve never done interviews on camera before. That’s a big change of heart.
I guess so. It’s been 17 years, and it’s fantastic to come in a place where you’re finally well understood. That’s probably a huge difference. Plus the possibility to have ideas realized almost automatically—I’ve never experienced that before.

It was a wonderful show, but I can’t say I’m surprised. There was something so purely logical about it.
I think so, yes. I’ve been very much involved with the period that Christian Dior defined, 1947 to 1957, and it seemed to me very normal to jump into it and work with that, to work with the archive and see how it can be modernized. And also to change the psychology of people who are interested in couture. The way I’ve been looking at it so far is as a still image, something you look at for that moment. I think lots of people see it as a still, an image from the red carpet. I want to make it more dynamic, appeal to a person who has a different energy. A younger person, in mind, not necessarily in age. And I think couture is very much about curating something unique for women. Fashion is so mass-produced now; I hope there will come a refocus on how people see couture. And I would also hope for a new focus on the craft.

What struck me in the show was the tension between classic couture tropes and a new take on them.
I’m attracted by both. Take things from the archives, then reenergize them in acid yellow or electric blue, colors that weren’t part of the Christian Dior aesthetic. I like to juxtapose elements.

In a way, it’s a paradox. You need to be reverent, but also irreverent, to move forward.
It’s mind-blowing when you start investigating what is done here. But I want to approach it with a new energy. I’m interested to see how people will pick up on it.

How important do you think it is that you’re an outsider?
I don’t really know. I know I was seen as avant-garde. Maybe that’s why I look at it a little more differently. I’m not frozen by it. I make suggestions. My challenge is to find a beautiful balance: to make women beautiful, to make a woman dream to wear a beautiful outfit. The show was about beauty in a natural way. It was very freeing; it offered a lot of possibilities. That’s why I didn’t want it story-based. Think of it as a blueprint.

style

 

[GERGIN]

Love the interview, and it`s so true....blueprint says it all.

 

[christian zh]

 

[Marc10]

@Dior

 

[CrisGalaxy]

That suit is so not him, where is the bomber jacket? lol

 

[TianCouture]

I think he looks beautiful in the suit! Very chic. Reminds me a little of Christian Dior, the man, for some reason.

 

[LittleMsSunshine]

Raf Simons Discuss His Dior SS13 Collection

fashioncopious.typepad.com

 

[disco54]

He is so boring

 

[IloveDiorHomme]

I almost don't find any of the themes Simons quotes in this video...Sexuality ? Future ? Freedom ?

This guy takes his job at Dior as an exercice. I don't see passion, or not yet...

 

[Morphe]

These concepts are entirely subjective though.

 

[Daydreamer70]

I can't believe editors and buyers are getting so excited about the idea of a jacket that can be worn as a dress...as he suggested in the video, I mean how is that new or innovative? Have they never seen a coatdress, or a shirtdress? The level of BS and hype in the fashion industry never ceases to amaze me!
I will say however, that the Dior collection looks much better in motion, than it does in stills.

 

[Marc10]

I almost don't find any of the themes Simons quotes in this video...Sexuality ? Future ? Freedom ?

It depends on how you interprets the garments. I see Sexuality on the tailoring, Future on the fabrics and Freedom on the easiness.


style

Maybe mine is different from yours and different from Raf's. Like Morphe said, it's all subjective

 

[KKnardi]

He is so boring

no, c'mon, he's cute!
what kind of dialect is that though?

 

[mistress_f]

no, c'mon, he's cute!
what kind of dialect is that though?

It's Flemish!

anyway

It depends on how you interprets the garments. I see Sexuality on the tailoring, Future on the fabrics and Freedom on the easiness.

Maybe mine is different from yours and different from Raf's. Like Morphe said, it's all subjective

I see sensuality here, moreso than in other collections usually deemed as 'sexy' or sensual. I also see future, i'm not sure i'm not seeing freedom but as already stated, these are very subjective concepts, who knows how Raf was trying to convey them

 

[MulletProof]

Wish I had seen that video earlier, the pieces look exquisite and totally make sense as he carefully describes them.. it helps that he has such a methodical, serene and respectful way of talking.

Random but any idea on who's the gentleman with white hair, sitting on the right in the video of the previous page?, is he related to the house in any way? judging by the way people look at his reaction, one would think he does.