In one of his first interviews since abruptly leaving Calvin Klein this fall, Raf Simons sat down with the Guardian to discuss “the joy of designing textiles for Danish fabric company Kvadrat and his plans to open an art foundation.” Most strikingly, though, Simons, who launched his Antwerp-based eponymous label in 1995 and has embarked upon tenures at Jil Sander, Christian Dior, and most recently, Calvin Klein, sounded off on the state of the fashion industry …
“It’s been changing since the 90s. In the past, a designer made a collection and presented it to a small audience of professionals, then one picture appeared in a magazine, and months later the clothes came to the shops. Oh my God, the desire that created! Now everyone sees the runway show right away, and by the time the clothes are available, people have moved on to something else. This fast communication, it’s exciting but it can be dangerous, too. Damaging.”