Who started it?
Raf Simons was born in Neerpelt, Belgium, in 1968. He began his career with the intention of becoming an industrial designer, and graduated from the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 1991 with degrees in industrial and furniture design. During the next few years, he designed furniture for galleries and private homes before switching to more sartorial pursuits.
During this time he worked as an intern with Flemish designer Walter Van Beirendonck, one of the Antwerp Six, in Paris. Here, Simons was exposed to the work of Jean-Paul Gaultier and Martin Margiela. This experience inspired him to pursue fashion design, and he launched his Raf Simons label for men in 1995. He quickly became part of the influx of avant-garde Belgian designers into the fashion world during the mid- to late 1990s.
Despite his success, he stopped his signature label in the spring of 2000, because of growing business commitments. After a year-long sabbatical, he teamed with Gysemans Clothing Industry and resumed designing under his own name. He restructured his company in 2004, signing distribution deals with Futurenet Group and Mitsui.
In October 2000, the University of Applied Arts in Vienna appointed Simons as head professor of its fashion department - a position he held until June 2005. That month, he launched his secondary line, Raf by Raf Simons.
Also in 2005, the Prada Group named him creative director for German label Jil Sander, marking his first foray into womenswear.
The look: