PAST AND FUTURE: A recent coffee table book chronicles Raf Simons’ three-year tenure at Dior, when his creations fused the French fashion house’s heritage together with his streamlined cuts and taste for adventurous materials.

The 344-page tome, published by Assouline, is the sixth volume within the series that Dior is releasing chronicling each creative director of the brand. Its cover includes a lipstick red coat, inspired by Dior’s signature Bar jacket, from Simons‘ fall 2012 high fashion collection, described by WWD as “one of the highly anticipated designer debuts ever.”

Written by fashion journalist Tim Blanks, the tome features photographs by Laziz Hamani alongside images by the likes of Tim Walker, Paolo Roversi, Peter Lindbergh, Willy Vanderperre and Sarah Moon.

The introduction describes the Belgian designer’s upbringing within the small town of Neerpelt where he was starved of distractions, aside from a record store that proved instrumental find kindred spirits. Television provided a gateway to fashion through programs like CNN’s “Style with Elsa Klensch.”

Simons moved to Genk and obtained a level in industrial and furniture design in 1991. Drawn to the energy of the Antwerp Six, who put Belgium on the international fashion map, he interned for Walter Van Beirendonck, who took him to Paris, where Simons had his fashion epiphany at a Martin Margiela show.

His eponymous label, launched in 1995 and shuttered last 12 months, turned him right into a cult designer in menswear, with creations that melded symbols of counterculture with reinterpretations of uniforms. Pieces from Simons’ early years often fetch high prices on resale sites and through auctions.

From 1997 onwards, his shows in Paris caused a sensation together with his skinny tailoring, street casting and imposing runway venues equivalent to La Grande Arche de la Défense.

The designer made his womenswear debut at Jil Sander, where he was artistic director from 2005 to 2012. During his tenure, he presented a trilogy of collections inspired by the codes of high fashion.

A darling of critics and editors, prized for his exacting silhouettes and obsession with the here-and-now, Simons succeeded John Galliano at Dior after the British designer’s antisemitic comments and subsequent downfall. Simons brought a gust of modernity to the home, sweeping aside the retro-tinged glamour Galliano had plied over a stellar 15-year tenure.

He ceaselessly referenced iconic designs just like the Bar jacket, in addition to floral motifs — but abstracted them and indulged his predilection for minimalism and futurism. “I’m not romantic in regards to the past, I’m romantic in regards to the future,” he once said.

Simons also cultivated references to the passions he shared with founder Christian Dior, including nature and gardens, in addition to design and art. His collections for the home referenced artists including Andy Warhol and Sterling Ruby, translating the latter’s spray-painted canvases into duchess satin dresses.

His decision to depart the brand sent shockwaves through the industry, suggesting that designers of Simons’ generation weren’t willing to bend unthinkingly to the demands — and constraints — of mammoth global brands.

“I’m questioning loads,” Simons said just before his last Dior show, referring to the palpable sense that the pace of fashion and the overheated runway system had reached a volatile tipping point. “I feel a number of individuals are questioning. We’ve a number of conversation about it: Where is it going? It’s not only the garments. It’s the garments, it’s all the things, the Web.”

Following a three-year tenure at Calvin Klein, Simons was named co-creative director of Prada, where he has worked in partnership with Miuccia Prada since 2020. “Dior Raf Simons 2012-2015,” available in English or French, shall be released worldwide on May 23. It retails for 195 euros, or $195.