He zeroed in on the Palais Bulles to display his designsa bubble house studded with a thousand windows designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag. Its crazy right now in fashion and its escalating. Sunniva, a textile previously designed by Simons, has received an update to its color palette as well. Rather something with education and collaboration built into it., But also, as his collecting becomes more ambitious a recent acquisition includes an enormous aquarium work by the French artist Pierre Huyghe he needs to think about what to do with the work. Enveloping and comforting interior fabrics are all the more relevant now, as millions of consumers find themselves staying at home. ID: Does your industrial design training enter your thinking? I was always fascinated with that mid-century generation because of how they defined a very specific language and aesthetic. Aug . RS: Unconsciously, its helpful to think of material development. Simons has created two upholstery fabrics for Kvadrat, which are shown on Roberto Matta's Malitte seating system. More specifically, tatami. Following this, he went on to study architecture at university. Q&A: Raf Simons on His Textiles for Kvadrat and Industrial Design Good design is really supposed to last for a long time. Raf Simons is, after all, a sucker for art: while he is a passionate collector of the work of Sterling Ruby, he also collaborated with the artist for many seasons. Raf Simons | Glenn Sestig Architects | Archello Actually, I never returned to furniture design. It frees you up if you go and do something different, he says. Oh my God, the desire that created! What happened to the great British working-class fashion designer? I did that for a year, and then I moved to Antwerp and met a lot of people who were in the fashion scene. The fashion line's emphasis on cut and angles are evidence enough of West's interest in architecture, coupled with his dedication to fashion. Robert Simons - Previous President for Sva Architects, Inc. In Glenn Sestig: Architecture Diary, we are invited on a journey through his extensive body of work, creating distinct spaces according to each subject. The director from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerpsaid, You dont need to be here, just start makingclothes if you want. And thats how I started. He then visited the school where this course existed and decided to study here. 2021 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Then it all clicked and eventually I started to do some fashion things with him. Kvadrat, which has trebled its business in the last eight years by expanding into the US, China and Japan, can presumably afford to take this risk. Plus occasional news. Its one thing to choose a fabric but its another thing to choose a color for a piece like a sofa. I know people always deplore the lack of light, but Im not like that. Last updated 7 October 22, Confessions, which travels to Copenhagens 3 Days of Design following its debut at Milan Design Week 2022, features commissioned work by 14 male artists, designers and architects, reflecting on toxic masculinity, vulnerability and mental health, The Forite tile collection, which upcycles glass components from discarded fridges, ovens and microwaves, launches with an exhibition at Alcova during Milan Design Week 2022, Bringing colour and lightness to Fuorisalone 2022,Herms installation at La Pelota conceals the maisons latest collections of furniture, accessories and lighting, By Rosa Bertoli He took me on not to do fashion things, but to make objects like a fragrance bottle or a mask. This fast communication, its exciting but it can be dangerous, too. He became increasingly interested in the brand. News from Dezeen Events Guide, a listings guide covering the leading design-related events taking place around the world. Right away they offered me both menswear and womenswear. Olivier Theyskens: She Walks In Beauty designed by Glenn Sestig. I believe that good things come out of crises like the one we are all facing., 2023 Cond Nast. The way a product can last, its quality and the way it serves human beings. More, Fashion designer Raf Simons has unveiled his latest footwear collection for Adidas, with colours and materials taken from retroastronaut apparel (+ slideshow). Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons talk fashion, art, business and their All rights reserved. Light is constantly changing, but when those very specific moments happen naturally, its beautiful. The Venice Architecture Biennale 2023 is a . RS: Five or six years ago, Anders Byrielfrom Kvadrat came knocking on my door. More, The Calvin Klein flagship on New York's Madison Avenue has gone from "minimal to maximal", with a bright yellow makeover forming the backdrop for artworks celebrating Americana. ID: How did you start working with Kvadrat? It's kind oflike a mathematical thing.. His vision for creating spaces that enhance quality of life has resulted in an array of . That actually made me look at fashion in a different way. Im always gatheringsomething could be on the ground, a tiny little thing. Thats a huge responsibility. In fashion, its about the direct impact of the feel and the touch and the performance. Its the combination of those three features: the extreme a sense that boundaries are being pushed timelessness and liveability. Im not interested in setting up a really private private foundation, he says. Helia, which is made mainly from new wool, with added acrylic, viscose and nylon . The weather-worn, old war bunkers that dot the Belgian coast served as a key source of inspiration; their essence is embodied here by the use of raw concrete. Mattas Malitte Seating System, upholstered in Raf Simonss new fabric. Alessandro Michele, N15 As for architecture and design, he contributed to various books for the Museums of Venice, and to books on prestigious houses and interior designs. All rights reserved. Most of these designers werent covered in my education. Models snaked their way around Lovags bulbous terracotta and glass globules lined with a shade of pink that Monsieur Dior would have approved of, to a mash-up soundtrack of 18th century Baroqueand the electronica of Martin Gore. She kind of forbade me and said 'You want to do fashion? Im not so technicalIm more about the social, emotional, and psychological. They're both art rooted in form and function. It was a big shock because Id only done menswear. Of course, when the design process for this collection began, Simons and Ebbesen had no idea of COVID-19s upcoming impact. Kris Van Assche, N6 The orchestration of the fireworks themselves was a summation of what Simons has achieved thus far at Dior as they were exacting but impactful. Within the industrial space, the Antwerp-based designer installed what can only be described as Raf Simons Suburban: a vaguely dystopian neighbourhood rendered in the designers unique vision. They placed me with a garden architect. before this, raf simons interned at the design studio of walter van beirendonck, working on the presentation and decoration of the van beirendonck showrooms and collections. The Style Guide to Raf Simons: Fashion's Provocateur - Culture Trip Or Jeanneret with Corbusier in Chandigarh. Simons plans to install them in a garden full of flowers created by the Belgian florist Mark Colle, and turn their interiors into both domestic spaces and atelier-type workshops, to tell the stories of the three new fabrics he has created. It isn't surprising to note that Kawakubo has always designed clothes that look more like structures as opposed to garments. For me, a great architect should be able to find solutions. Dior News | Fashion News, Events & Shows | DIOR The boundaries are refreshingly different. Asked what Simons is like as a partnerin light of the Prada newsEbbesen only adds to her praise. Just a few days out of the studio and its almost impossible to catch up, he says, his phone flashing and burping with a deluge of calls and texts. Veronique Branquinho, N5 When it comes to fashion shows, location is everything. Fashion and architecture should intersect more often. Raf Simons has settled in to New York. Prior to her work as a journalist, she was assistant editor at London-based publishing house Phaidon Press. Emphasising Sestigs practice of harmonious contrasts, old war bunkers dotting the Belgian coast serve as key sources of inspiration, namely their remnants of raw concrete and dilapidated crevasses. Its a reference to the 70s, but a completely blown-up version, he enthuses. Photos in the Collection of the Montebello Historical Society - Simons Yesterday afternoon at the Muse Rodin, Raf Simons showed his haute couture autumn-winter 2015-2016 collection for Christian Dior in a setting that re. Despite no formal training in architecture or fashion design, Williams has teamed up with the late architect Zaha Hadid for both art forms. Raf Simons speaks inside Glenn Sestig: Architecture Diary His sense of precision. Show me you can do it. Tanaka came across a Kvadrat material, so I made a collection using many Kvadrat fabrics. I didnt want to design a product that made no sense for me, and I didnt feel like doing a piece of furniture. News about our Dezeen Awards China programme, including entry deadlines and announcements. You could make a dress in plastic that can damage tomorrow, and its not even a problem for the high fashion people. RS: I went to an interim office with my portfolio. It was the perfect architectural summation of where Raf Simons is at with Dior, as he freed and lightened up the silhouettes using Diors atelier take on homespun crafts to create movement and experimental textures. Its a process that is as fragile and sensitive as creating something new; its maybe even more difficult to work with an existing space than it is to build a new one from scratch. Williams teamed up with Zaha Hadid to launch trainers for Adidas. Perhaps more than any label today, his maintains a commitment to repressed youth -- not the youthful vigor fetishized by biceps-and-pectorals labels like Gucci or Versace, but real youth, in all its awkward menace. No Mans Land is on view 9-14 April. Raf Simons designs Kvadrat upholstery collection - Dezeen At that time there wasnt much interest in that type of furniture. Ive been coming to Salone for a while now. Eckhaus Latta, N16 For more details, please see our privacy notice. 646k followers. Their collaboration evolved further in 2016, when Simons commissioned Sestig to design a new architectural identity for his brand at Dover Street Market London, which was then globally introduced to Dover Street Market LA, Beijing, New York and Tokyo. 1991. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Ad Choices, Raf Simons Is Out with a Fresh Batch of Kvadrat Upholstery Fabrics, And hes used them to update Roberto Mattas iconic Malitte Seating System. Raf Simons Simons may not have studied architecture formally, but he showed an interest in it. The retro-futurist design was as eye-catching as his designs. The look of the raw concrete, based on weatherworn bunkers, stands in contrast with the ombr glass of Germans Ermis. This he will show not in lengths or as upholstery, but reduced to a kind of dust, which certainly suits the slightly dystopian title of the show, which is No Mans Land. The presentation took aim at the hierarchies and formality of fashion week, with a boldly minimal collection that sang in the raw aesthetics of the former printing factory. The companies were formed over a seven year period with the most recent being incorporated eleven years ago in August of 2011. Raf Simons Is Out with a Fresh Batch of Upholstery Fabrics Lucie and Luke Meier, N20 Its no small feat during the marathon that is Milan Design Week for a project to make you want to stick around a while. So Im never without a job, he laughs. Use of this website constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Service (updated 1/1/20) and Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 18/11/20).