PAYING tribute to the society’s difficult relationship with drugs, the new Raf Simons Fall/Winter 18 Campaign follows up from the brand’s AW18 collection, Youth In Motion. Shot by Willy Vanderperre, a fellow Belgium who has collaborated with Raf Simons for over two decades now, and styled by Olivier Rizzo, the campaign explores themes of decadence, rebellious youth cultures and, most importantly, addiction.
Juxtaposed against collection shots, the still-life photographs depict opulent decaying bouquets alongside paraphernalia related to consumption of various drugs, accentuating the rot of tflowers. Simons explores the taboo of addiction and the society’s fear to speak up about it. As previously displayed in the Youth In Motion” collection, designer refers to the cult 1980 play Drugs as well as the 1979 book Christiane F. We Children from Zoo Station. The former became a required reading in German schools and was subsequently produced into a film by Bernd Eichinger, telling a true story of children living in West Berlin, caught up in the horrifying life of drug abuse and prostitution.
The knitted sweaters display images from the movie, amplifying the troubled atmosphere of the photographs with a perturbing detail of colourful latex gloves. Raf Simons once again highlights the individuality of the brand, playing with the idea of traditional menswear and inciting a conversation around the society’s role in fighting against addiction.
by Olga Kuznietsova