How Raf Simons Became The Biggest Cult Icon In Menswear

Raf Simons is a name that brings to mind the “frequency illusion,” a cognitive bias in which something or someone has been recently discovered and is suddenly everywhere. But upon further inspection — or by getting stuck in a Kylie Jenner-esque K-hole of “realizing stuff,” it becomes evident that the lauded designer has somehow always been around, influencing the way we dress more behind-the-scenes than in the spotlight, through his consistently progressive and on-the-nose approach to clothes and their relationship with the wearer. For many men, Raf Simons epitomizes what we talk about when we talk about “fashion,” and for this reason, he’s become an almost godlike figure among menswear fans around the world. Ever since he was appointed the creative director of Dior in 2012 — following a seven-year stint at the minimalist, Milan-based label Jil Sander — Simons has been the reluctant center of attention as more and more people have been sucked into the orbit of his galaxy. And now, with his eponymous label making its stateside runway debut at New York Fashion Week: Men’s (with his hotly anticipated debut for Calvin Klein following just days after), Simons is at yet another pivotal point in his career. Read more at Fashionista.