Raf Simons Joins Miuccia Prada As Co-Creative Director With "Equal Responsibilities"

Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli, the creative director and chief executive of the Prada Group announced the appointment of Raf Simons as co-creative director of Prada. Mr. Simons and Ms. Prada will have “equal responsibilities for creative input and decision-making,” the announcement said on the final day of Milan Fashion Week.

Ms. Prada’s last solo ready-to-wear show came two days ago. The creative decision is positively revolutionary in an industry where designers are dabbling in limited-edition collaborations but always retaining the big spotlight and aesthetic authorship for themselves, writes Vanessa Friedman for the New York Times.

Raf Simons, 52, left Calvin Klein in December 2018 and has been in discussions with Miuccia Prada for more than a year about a permanent collaboration. The decision is positioned as a response to a fashion world prioritized on commercial results over creativity.

Commercial Results Over Creativity

The “fashion industry is moving more and more toward an industry that might end up excluding creatives,” Mr. Simons said during the news conference. “I see more and more the possibility of having a strong business without strong creation. That is something we do not agree with, Miuccia and myself, and I know for a fact many designers do not agree with. We think we should not forget in this business about creativity.”

Ms. Prada and Mr. Bertelli first worked with Mr. Simons when they hired him for the women’s brand Jil Sander. Simons remained at Jil Sander until 2012 when he moved to become artistic director of Christian Dior following the firing of John Galliano.

Fashion, Culture, Politics, Content

Mr. Simons said he and Mrs. Prada had been in an extended “dialogue about fashion, culture, politics, content” over the years. They share a belief that fashion needs to be about more than mere prettiness, but should grapple with issues of self and society, as well as a love of contemporary art, reflected in their personal collections as well as the Prada Foundation. Indeed, Mr. Simons said it had been his first extended creative collaboration, with the artist Sterling Ruby, that had convinced him that such a relationship could engender not conflict but rather a blossoming of ideas.

Robert Burke, founder of an eponymous luxury consultancy and the former fashion director of Bergdorf Goodman, said: “It is a strong strategic move positioning the house for the future. It will be well received by the Prada customer, and will also bring a new customer to the brand. It is a much more natural fit than the Calvin job. It could also start a trend, and perhaps an important one, since a number of brands need to plan for the future.”

Neither designer would specify exact detail, though Mr. Simons said, “It is simple as when you have a lot of things to talk about. There’s more strength when two creatives talk about it and love it then when one does. When we both believe in something, we’re going to do it; when one does not, we won’t.”

Mr. Simons will join Prada in April, commuting between Milan and Antwerp. Miuccia Prada will continue to design Miu Miu on her own.