Raf Simons launches womenswear

Raf Simons has made a legendary name for himself working at storied design houses. The designer has been creative director of Jil Sander, Christian Dior, Calvin Klein, and now co-creative director of Prada alongside Miuccia Prada. Despite his career at many iconic fashion houses, Simons has also been the force behind his own namesake label, which has one of the strongest cult followings in fashion. His archival pieces are also known to go for big bucks on resale sites like Grailed.

For the women who were fans of Raf Simons, they often bought his clothes and adopted a quite literally borrowed from the boys look. Now, the ladies get to shine all on their own. Last Friday, Simons presented his spring 2021 collection for his namesake label and included womenswear for the first time.

Simons’s latest collection was titled “Teenage Dream” and was inspired by some of the most classic teen genre movies ranging from coming of age classics like “The Breakfast Club” to horror movies like “Scream.” Simons’s line has always had a fascination with youth culture, although not necessarily the youth culture of today, but, rather, the youth culture of the sixties, seventies, and eighties. This collection was no exception and was young and rebellious in its own right.

The silhouettes were slim, and he left no stone unturned when it came to graphics. Tops had messages such as “Welcome Children of the Revolution Home” and “Community.” There was also the oversized sweater that Simons is well known for, long a favorite of menswear customers and a piece that was often rocked by female customers of the brand. As usual with his eponymous label, there was no traditional structuring or tailoring, instead proportions were played with. Sweater vests were shrunken and close to the neckline, sleeves were elongated, skirts were billowing and dramatic.

Between his debut at Prada and the launch of womenswear at his namesake label, the world of womenswear has welcomed Raf Simons back with open arms. The introduction of womenswear only stands to boost the success of his brand by seriously courting womenswear customers.