Raf Simons Joins Prada In Unprecedented Co-Creative Director Role
The Belgian designer will share creative duties with Miuccia Prada
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Fashion is about change. And one house dictating change is Prada, who on Sunday unveiled a ground-breaking announcement that Belgian designer Raf Simons would work alongside Miuccia Prada as a co-creative director.
Since leaving the chair at Calvin Klein in 2018, a mere nine months into a three-year tenure, Raf Simons’ talents and where they’d be showcased next has been the talk of the industry.
Simons needs little introduction after well-documented tenures at Jil Sander, Dior and the recently mentioned Calvin Klein, as well as the operation of his eponymous men’s label, which will continue through his time at Prada.
Simons, now 52, has worked for both Mr Patrizio Bertelli, Chairman and CEO of Prada and Ms Prada previously at the then Prada owned Jil Sander and was tapped on the shoulder post-Calvin Klein to come and work for the Milanese house.
Mr Bertelli said of the announcement, “This may be the first time in fashion that two experienced designers who are individually very successful decided to work together.”
In the press release issued by Prada, Ms Prada and Mr Simons said they wanted a “strong challenge to the idea of singularity of creative authorship” and “equal responsibilities for creative input and decision making.”
The move to pair together two seasoned and formidable forces in fashion under one banner is practically unprecedented, especially at a steeped house such as Prada. In a climate where collaboration rules king, this announcement forces the relationship beyond a capsule, or collection and into bigger discussions of the Prada Group.
And although the future of Prada seems to be creatively secure, with Ms Prada in her seventies, she also revealed that she has no plans to step away from the brand stating, “I like working. I’m here to work even more.”
The first expected showing of the new Prada and Simons nexus will debut at Prada’s spring 2021 women’s show in Milan in September.
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