Raf's Dior Story

And so it was announced yesterday that Raf Simons has decided not to renew his contract and to leave Christian Dior for personal reasons, with his spring/summer 2016 collection being his last. "It is a decision, based entirely and equally on my desire to focus on other interests in my life, including my own brand, and the passions that drive me outside of my work," Simons said in a statement, continuing, "I want to thank M. Bernard Arnault (chairman and chief executive officer of LVMH) for the trust he has put in me, giving me the incredible opportunity to work at this beautiful house surrounded by the most amazing team one could ever dream of."

The quiet Belgian joined the house in 2012.

There was no settling in period; he was tasked with presenting his first collection - a couture collection - in July of that year to an audience that included Marc Jacobs, Riccardo Tisci, Azzedine Alaïa and Alber Elbaz. His first few months at the house were documented in Frédéric Tcheng's Dior and I, which highlighted the enormity of the position. A scene where a teary Simons finds ten minutes to escape to the roof terrace of the show venue, moments before he presents his first collection in order to compose himself is particularly poignant.

His debut was critically acclaimed, respectful but totally fresh and with enough gumption to demonstrate that he had new ideas and direction. He more than proved he was the right man for the job. His shows that followed were hotly anticipated and a highlight of the fashion calendar, not just in Paris during the ready-to-wear collections, but in the increasingly global affair of the pre-collections too, 47-year-old Simons staged shows (or rather, huge productions would be a term closer to the mark) in Cannes, and Tokyo produced by Alexandre de Betak.

These were theatrical shows, even though his clothes never were, which was something he was adamant about since he took the helm, driving a distance between his Dior and his predecessor, John Galliano's Dior, who was fired in 2011. He told Vogue in January 2013 that he never wanted the clothes to be "theatrical, unrealistic, not for wear," continuing, "(Christian) Dior's ultimate obsession is that he wanted them to wear it. I want them to wear it in the street."He succeeded.

A cast of cool ambassadors followed; from Jennifer Lawrence and Rihanna, to a flock of European young things, Olympia Scarry, Alexia Niedzielski and Gaia Repossi, and consequently his designs clocked up miles on the red carpet the world over, not to mention column inches. Sales boosted too under his three and a half-year tenure; the French house enjoyed a 60 percent rise in sales since 2011, while revenues at Christian Dior Couture rose 12.9 percent in its fiscal first quarter (the three months ending September 30th) hitting €471 million (about $553 million).

There is no fall out, no drama, no meltdown; the night before the announcement was made, Simons was dancing in Paris at a party he hosted for Gagosian Gallery in celebration of his good friend and collaborator, the artist Sterling Ruby.

No doubt he will enjoy the freedom that now comes with not having to present six collections a year including the almost unfathomable workload of two couture collections (like most designers, he voiced frustrations by the stifling time constraints) and the focus that he can now put into his eponymous Antwerp-based label, and those other interests, which include art and furniture.
His departure of course means that one of fashion's most prestigious seats is now vacant; all that's really left to answer is who will fill it. Tisci, Elbaz, Theyskens and Philo are all tipped, but if it pans out to be anything like Simons's hiring here, Dior executives will take their time in finding the right successor.