Raf Simons Succeeds John Galliano at Christian Dior

After a storm of rumors and speculations, it’s official: according to a trusted source Raf Simons (44) joins Dior as the creative director effective immediately. The Belgian designer was one of the names that were rumored to take on the fashion powerhouse after John Galliano. I couldn’t be more excited how the industry’s geek and nerd would re-invent Dior and what amazing innovative collections we should expect from the brand. It goes without saying that this will be the most anticipated collection in next season’s fashion weeks.

Raf studied Industrial design, but after a few years of self-study, he became a menswear designer in 1995. Initially, he worked with Walter Van Beirendonck in Paris, where he was exposed to the work of Martin Margiela and Jean-Paul Gaultier. His recent label Jil Sander will surely miss him as a creative force.

His collections (menswear only) are strongly influenced by youth culture albeit in an indirect way. His style, described as “tortured youth” or “live fast, die Bohemian” often combines strongly cut classic menswear with sharp lines. He is cited as being one of the most important innovators in contemporary menswear by the international press.