Last month the fashion world was stunned when Raf Simons announced his exit from Dior. Reasons given were ‘personal’ and that he wanted to give undiluted attention to his own menswear label which he run’s from Antwerp. In his tenure at Dior which lasted for almost three and a half years Raf created 20 collections including couture and garnered rave reviews. He can surely be credited to transform Dior from a Haute Couture house with guarded bastions into a much more commercially successful fashion house with flexible and more contemporary aesthetic.

Before Raf, John Galliano helmed Dior but was ousted from the reputed house for his anti-semantic remarks. He made Dior into a larger than life brand with his glamorous shows and dramatic couture gowns. He played safe with couture and allowed it to be fashionably mystic unlike Raf who believed even couture should be wearable.

Raf Simmons, 46 year old Belgian designer has traversed a path with his own label and Jill Sander ( he was the Creative Director at the Parisian fashion house from 2005 to 2012) at one end and Dior at the other. Coming from a military background ( his father was a military watchman), being inspired by the creations of Martin Margiela and having worked under Walter Van Beirendonck ( one of the six revered designers of Antwerp 6) Raf cultivated his unique form of design which was of strong silhouettes which were wearable.

At Dior his struggle was to improvise his simplistic approach to fashion and make it worthy enough to impress a Dior women. However,  before his departure from Dior, he was clear about the tiresome fashion cycle big brands have built and the pressure he was in was evident in the documentary ‘Dior and I’.

Despite of the hectic schedule at Dior, Raf was able to study someof the classic Dior designs and reinterpret them. Seeking inspiration from the classic ‘New Look’ of the 40’s Raf redefined the venerated Bar jacket which has been a regular part of his collections. Pants also went through a metamorphosis under his reign and became a more wholesome part of an outfit. Remember Emma Stones golden globe dress.

Raf also proved that he is one of the few designers who can masterfully tame volume. John Galliano created some stunning voluminous gowns but Raf’s take on volume though might be devoid of drama had enough elegance to allure stars such as Jennifer Lawrence. He was less of a designer and more of a visionary. He also collaborated with artist Sterling Ruby for his debut couture collection.

Comma heel was an another Dior classic that was revived by Raf.Created by Roger Vivier for Dior they were considered to be complicated and unusual for their time Footwear became something to look upto during Raf’s time, be it the layered sling backs or beaded sneakers he knew how to have fun.

Not just outfits but he was a champion in giving character to his shows as well, be it using 300,000 delphiniums at his S/S 16 show in Paris or selecting a venue such as Pierre Cardin’s bubble house, Raf’s attention to detail was unmatchable.