“I DON’T want to show clothes, I want to show my attitude,” reads the stand-out sentence on the Raf Simons’s website. True to his word, the Belgian-born designer down not shy away from displaying attitude with his SS20 collection at Paris Fashion Week. The show took place in an univeristy testing facility in the outskirts of Paris, an appropriate venue to focus on edgier affairs apparently, as teenage subcultures, the Antwerp punk scene and creative denouncements of controversial issues took centre stage.
The saturated purple of the floor juxtaposed with the the line’s darker messages. Though unsaid, these messages can be literally read all over the collection. Patches with plays on words such as Stone(d) America, My Own Private Antwerp and How to Text your teen feature on oversize pastel knits, graphic painted t-shirts and backpacks with racoon-tail clips.
Strong messaging against corporate America was emphasised by the use of the the film score from Under The Skin. “Corporate America, consumer America, fascist Ameria,” reverberated throughout the university space before the show kicked off, revealing various pieces that showcase Simon’s determination to weave statements into his clothing. Heavy duty gloves pair with white Lab coats, hemmed just under the knee they highlight mid-calf black rubber boots, the outcome? Youth culture meets pharmeceutical America.
In a subtle reference to the designer’s homecoming, a triangle symbol can be seen sewn into tunics and knitted vests. The symbol is the logo of the Ghent-based R&S Records, the alternative record label that popularized the New Beat era in the eighties. With the SS20 collection, Raf Simons manages to show off both his clothes an attitude, the result of which is contagiouslly energetic and captivating.
by Mirabella Shahidullah