The current season of Raf Simons, sees the designer bringing back some classic graphics from Peter Saville’s Archive. Amongst the most striking pieces is this simple red hoodie that uses the cover artwork for ‘Technique’ – the fifth studio album by New Order. A thick cotton jersey hoodie, the piece is a modern re-telling of Raf’s long history collaborating with Peter Saville.
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The theme of Raf’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection was inspired by the original Blade Runner film. The presentation itself in New York was done outside, re-creating the neon-lit back alleys that more resembled a movie set than a runway. The items are now arriving in-stores and feature a whole range of pieces from outerwear to shirting, pants, sneakers and accessories including printed lamps with Peter Saville graphics. Long-time fans of Raf will recognize the return of familiar Saville prints from past collections as well ranging from the Joy Division album artwork to the New Order Power,Corruption and Lies floral graphic. Shop the collection at Antonioli which featured a large buy from the season.
The Raf Simons x Adidas Ozweego came back to the spotlight last season with the killer white/cream color way of the shoe. The model returns this season keeping the white base and pairing it with a dark Khaki and black upper. Inspired by the profile of military bunny boots, the sneaker is finished off with a comfortable EVA midsole.
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Raf Simons brought a new level of excitement to New York Men’s Fashion Week with his Spring/Summer 2018 collection. While his namesake label may be on the back burner compared to his work as creative director of Calvin Klein, Simons showed that he’s extremely self-aware of his history and legacy as a premier menswear designer. The show occurred outside in Manhattan, with Simons choosing a chinatown location not far from the East Broadway bridges and the area’s signature neon lighting. The real city backdrop was a clear translation of Blade Runner’s future dystopia.
While the outdoor New York setting was new for Simons, it’s well in line with his tradition of building atmosphere and emotion into his collections. His designs are elevated by their mood and presentation. Certainly this wasn’t the only way that Simons looked back, with Simons bringing back the type of Saville graphics that are now an iconic part of his archive. The iconic Joy Divison’s Unknown pleasures graced shirting and Saville’s New Order typography was printed onto the Chinese style lanterns that lit the runway.
The clothing itself was a mix of long knee length coats, oversized hats, high boots and oversized screen printed items. Button-downs with the word Replicant were a direct nod to the film. Raf has always been at his best when he stands at the intersection of personal influences, in this collection music, new york, and a dystopia film set combine to create a world that we are lucky to visit for a season, “More human than human” indeed.
Without the ability to layer or add in more elaborate pieces, you have to rely on accessories and comfortable basics to get through hot sunny days. Here are some some simple pieces you can work into your summer style. Y-3 Qasa Hi Steel Blue Wings + Horns 6 Panel Hat Raf Simons Adiette Slides Y-3 Classic T-shirt … Read more
Adidas is back with another Raf collab but this might be one of the best color ways yet. While the Ozweego has faded a bit into the background with all of the new releases Adidas is putting out each week, this ozweego comes in a really clean toned down color palette. In addition the team at Raf has placed some typographic design details around the sneaker along with a subtle logo hit. Get these now at Revive Michigan.
While Raf always shows innovative concepts on the runway, when it comes to the buys that stores actually pick-up, his graphical takes on streetwear classics have been an accessible entry point into the designer label. For spring/summer 2016 Raf teamed up with photographer David Sims on not only a book (Isolated Heroes) but select pieces such as … Read more
Since Raf teamed up with Adidas, the footwear focus has shifted towards his collabs with the sneaker giant and away from his own namesake Italian produced sneakers. These classic Velcro sneakers are one of my favorites he’s done and they are now back in black leather. Made on a similar sole to Common Projects (that … Read more
SSENSE has put together a cleanly executed editorial that blurs the line between womenswear and menswear. The shoot includes tailored pieces from J.W. Anderson, Thom Browne, and Raf Simons , SSENSE proves that it’s more about how the pieces are worn above all else.
See more after the jump and head to SSENSE to see more
Berlin based menswear purveyors Soto released a short lookbook using essentials from the FW14 Raf Simons collection. The colorful shoot captures pieces from the season in motion including the khaki trench which is my favorite item from Raf in some time.
Shop the collection at Soto and click through for more images
