It was announced earlier this morning (most-likely rumored) that Raf Simons will be replacing John Galliano as the head designer at Dior. The 43-year-old Belgium designer, who has been the creative director for Jil Sander since 2005, is apparently in the process of signing a contract with the French label. However, in order for him to acquire the position, Simons must step down as creative designer for Jil Sander. If Simons is appointed for Dior, it could go one of two ways: a creative and demiurgic move to relaunch the brand, or a really, really big disaster - I'm leaning more towards the latter.
Although I absolutely adore Raf Simons for Jil Sander, and I think that it would be wise to have a designer who could elevate and innovate Dior's brand into a new decade, I think it would be an unwise move to have him at Dior. Simons, who is originally a menswear designer, has an impeccable minimalistic, masculine aesthetic that will not pair well with Dior's feminine, theatrical effigy. It would be superb to have a different diversification to Dior, however, in this case, the change would be too much and we would lose Dior's aesthetics and the image it was originally built on. Simons was reported of having extended his contract with Jil Sander recently, as well, so the move to Dior would be less plausible, however not unnegotiable. Simons is a great designer, but Dior is not a good fit. Plus, I would miss him at Jil Sander oh-so-much!
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