Raf Simons might be retiring soon… or the cost of living crisis hit him, or he wanted a refresh. (Probably the latter.) I’m not sure what is happening, but he just auctioned off some of his big-ticket art and design collection. Although this was probably for spring cleaning, fashion people got very excited.
The auction ‘Design + Picasso Ceramics From the Collection of Raf Simons’ with Piasa auction house, began on September 18 and featured 131 lots. Chairs, tables, lamps, vases, stuff, things, bits, bobs and fat price tags. A painting by Le Corbusier sold for 416 000 €, and a playful blue vase by Picasso went for a not-so-playful 299 000 €. This edition of 75 has a bold and bulbous body, a long spout, and a paint job that looks like it was done by either Pablo or a bald hippy in a garage. (An Australian could study at Oxford for five years with that).
He told Piasa, “This auction represents a meaningful selection of my collection, and each piece has played a role in my life."
Initially, it was a surprise that Simons had so many things in the first place — Isn’t he always working and travelling between Milan and Antwerp? But here’s the thing: he wasn’t always a fashion designer and has loved art and design since studying industrial and furniture design in the late 80s. Oh yeah, and he loves to collect. He has been growing this collection for 30 years. It is not hard to stumble into him at FRIEZE in London or the Venice Biennale, where he quietly floats…shopping. (It’s a vibe to watch him do it).
On Raf
Raf Simons was born in 1968 in Neerpelt, a small town in Belgium. His father was a soldier, and his mother was a house cleaner. Simons went to a Catholic High school but loved the British New Wave (think Duran Duran, Joy Division, Yazoo, and Depeche Mode) and was inspired by art at 18 when visiting an exhibition curated by Jan Hoet. He discovered fashion when watching the late and glorious Elsa Klensch on CNN and studied industrial and furniture design at LUCA School of Arts in Genk from 1986. In his third year at the Academy, Simons interned at Walter van Beirendonck. Van Beirendonck (part of the Antwerp Six) took him to Paris to see Martin Margiela’s S/S 1990 collection; this show, known as the “White Show”, brought Simons to tears.
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Speaking of fashion, Simons showed signs of interest in fashion design when he released his 1991 graduate collection of furniture (presciently titled CORPO, meaning ‘body’ in Latin). CORPO blurred the lines of furniture with fashion by exploring the concept of the human body and its relationship to the objects. It consisted of seven accessory cabinets titled Protection, Beauty, Female Body, Male Body, Ornament, X-Ray, and Second Skin — Seven Deadly Sins reference? It was also presented like a fashion collection, standing on long, sleek metal rods that resembled legs, lined up like a runway and dressed in seven different materials, for instance, corseted in leather, metal mesh, chain mail and snakeskin. They had an understated elegance in function and aesthetics, a philosophy that aligns with his subsequent work in fashion. This was his first move towards fashion.
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After CORPO and some time designing furniture for galleries in Antwerp, Simons decided to pivot and approach Linda Loppa, then head of the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (where the Antwerp Six originated). Simons had no experience and a few skinny suits to show, but he was told to do tailoring training with her father, Renzo, set up a business, and meet an agent in Milan. He did just that and left the dreams of Cappelini and Cassina for a life of coats and fashion collections. He launched his eponymous label in 1995 and has since held prominent positions at Jil Sander 2005–2012, Dior 2012–2015, and Calvin Klein 2016–2018. He has been co-creative director of Prada since 2020, and last November, after 27 years, he announced that the SS23 collection for ‘Raf Simons’ would be its last. Even though his eponymous brand stopped pumping, Raf is still waving with Mrs. Prada from Milan.
Raf and Miuccia
There is more to Simons than a ‘cult menswear icon. His collections still express this multidisciplinary dimension, and over the years, his personal collection and appreciation of art have predictably influenced his fashion collections, for instance, he referenced his Picasso vases in his Jil Sander S/S 2012 collection and, in 2012, incorporated prints of Sterling Ruby’s paintings into the dresses for Christian Dior Haute Couture (his first collection for the house).
There might only be a handful of Raf Simons furniture pieces that remain, but his appreciation of design and art is hefty indeed. Art was a constant, a springboard that fed from youth culture, music and movies into fashion. It spoke to a broad and contemporary range of people from everywhere. From punk to pop, from the blue-chip Yankee to the niche minimalists in Volvos.
Last week’s Prada ss25 saw the designers look back with a tribute-tinged collection. Some futurism here, some minimalism there. Inspired and inspirational. A few of the looks would fit right in with some of the items from the auction (aesthetically, not just in the need for some serious disposable income). Appreciating things doesn’t mean buying them, and like Prada's latest collection, the auction was an absolute treat to look at.
High fashion and furniture isn’t for everyone. But looking never hurts anybody, right?
Oh, and here are some of my favourite pieces:
Pol Chambost Pitcher model n°837 & PRADA ss25 Look 6 - the rounded lapel reminds me of the pitcher's unconventional lip, with the rounded black body similar to the bucket bag.
Mathieu Matégot Icare, Nacho Carbonell Luciferase & PRADA ss25 Look 43 (Stella Hanan) - the use of textural black with a dash of yellow and a long, top-heavy look.
Le Corbusier L'Étrange oiseau et le taureau & PRADA ss25 Look 48 - muted greys with touches of orange and a flash of black.
Janette Laverrière Sofa & PRADA ss25 Look 42 - different shades of purple, same idea (I want to lie around in both of these all day)
Le Corbusier & Pierre Jeanneret Pair of armchairs model LC/PJ-SI-44-A, 'President's chair' & Raf Simons aw21 Look 26 - comfortable and soft, one size sits all?
Jil Sander ss12 Look 30 & Pablo PicassoVisage (A.R 288)
CORPO FEMALE BODY - A corseted sculptural form interferes minimally in space, commenting on ornamentation and decoration through clean, unmediated legs.
CORPO PROTECTION - chain mail, fashion for protection. Variegated materials for metaphorical waists and torsos…this was listed on GRAILED for $99,998 USD
Interestingly, The graphic he used for Corpo is the same one he used for his fashion brand. It began 30 years ago with this fundamental identity, carrying on from CORPO until the tags of today.
