On September 16th at 8 pm, the iconoclastic visionary, Raf Simons, announced he would take to the runway of London Fashion Week for the debut of his latest archetypal Spring Summer 2023 Womenswear and Menswear Collection.

“It’s been a dream for a while to show in London – a city where fashion and creativity is omnipresent in the streets and where I see exceptional people with a strong unique style. I’m extremely excited that this dream is becoming a reality now, and I’m very happy to welcome the amazing people and faces that make up the London scene to my show. Can’t wait to see you and dance the night away,” says Raf Simons.

Through his bold emergence into the fashion world around 1995, Simons has long been regarded for his love of both rebellious youth subcultures and traditional menswear, executing a radically different image of masculinity. At the core of every collection and “his universe” are his attitudes, moods, and statements communicating individuality and independence. Simons was creative director at Jil Sander (2005-2012), Christian Dior (2012-2015), and Calvin Klein (2016-2018). As of April 1st, 2020, he signed on as the co-creative director of Prada in partnership with Miuccia Prada.

Simon’s “for confident outsiders” approach has been sanctioned as a source of inspiration for artists such as Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Future, ASAP Rocky, Drake, and Kanye West who in an interview cited Simons as the primary influence for his Yeezy Season 1 collection. In 2017, the popular rap group, A$AP MOB, released a song entitled “RAF,” featuring Quavo, Playboi Carti, Lil Uzi Vert, and Frank Ocean in celebration of the self-taught designer.

Watch Raf’s FW22 Collection: