5 Things To Know About Raf Simons’ SS23 Rave Show In London

Typically a mainstay on the Paris Fashion Week schedule, Raf Simons brought his show to London for the first time. After a visit to Frieze last year, the designer felt compelled to celebrate the UK capital’s rich underground culture, which is in line with his brand’s own ethos. The designer—who’s been behind some of fashion’s most progressive aesthetic movements thanks to tenures at Jil Sander, Dior, Calvin Klein, and now Prada—has a dedicated following. It was, arguably, the most exciting runway spectacle to happen in London this season.

Numerous notable fashion figures, members of the art world, and university students attended the event, which was held at Printworks, an industrial rave venue in southeast London that was formerly an Evening Standard printing mill. There were no front-row seats in sight, as Pierpaolo Piccioli rubbed shoulders with second-year Central Saint Martins students. Charles Jeffrey, Emma Chopova, Laura Lowena-Irons of Chopova Lowena, and Jordan Bowen and Luca Marchetto of Jordanluca also turned out to show their support. The music shifted gear when the raised bar lining the whole length of the main room became a runway.

Despite the choice of venue, and the raucous crowds, the collection was one of Simons’s most pared back yet. There were elegant, minimalist pieces, such as black silk and neon leather shift dresses that featured triangular cut-outs on the back and dropped waist belts. Rompers, for both men and women, appeared in an array of iterations and sprightly shades—from olive sheer gauze knits and blue cotton poplin shirting, to long-sleeve cardigan hybrids that buttoned up underneath the crotch. Outerwear included sleeveless tailored jackets in wool, double-breasted coats, blazers with exaggerated shoulder pads, and oversized leather jackets that billowed in motion. It wouldn’t be a Raf Simons collection without an artistic collaboration—this time, the designer joined forces on the text-heavy prints with the estate of esteemed late Belgian painter Philippe Vandenberg.

Yes, Simons might be a master of tailoring and knitwear, but his ability to deliver on hero accessories warrants just as much praise. There were netting paneled shoppers in leather and vinyl with hardware details that emulated piercings, oversized canvas totes that were slung over the shoulder or rolled up into pochettes (remember the Jil Sander autumn/winter 2012 “paper” lunch bag?), and skinny leather belts worn around the waist and hips. The footwear was sensational, too, and comprised knee-high leather stomper boots (a Raf classic, of course) and point-toe heels with excessive bondage-like straps across the front and sculptural heels that curved inwards (shades of Simons’s Dior paneled escarpins and Prada 45mm sling-backs, perhaps?). Drawing on motifs of seasons past, the designer also featured jewelry in the form of skeletal hands and vampire fangs.

After the finale, Simons came out for his usual bow, emotional as ever. But instead of returning backstage, Simons jumped straight into the packed crowd and into the embrace of industry friends, as well as delighted super fans who were all at the ready with their cameras. As the party continued until the wee hours, it’s safe to say that attendees experienced a little slice of fashion history.