RAF SIMONS Dystopia 

East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet.
— Kipling 

by  @hibaxali
Photo Credit @Vogue, @rafsimons

Art, culture and fashion met in Raf Simons SS 18 menswear collection. The Belgian designer's namesake label gave a unique conception to its brand and spoke to the Raf Simons style. In a Chinatown back alley, with neon signs, smoke machines and lanterns, the menswear collection was a reference to the 80's specifically inspired by Harrison Fords, The Blade Runner. With signs blazing 'Replicants' every detail of the show held meaning. Artwork produced by Peter Saville was included, such as on lanterns lining the runway. 

The depth etched in Simons style was riveting through the clothes.  A futuristic feel, the references to the creativity of the early '80s along with the mixing of cultures, was an important aspect to the collection. "There are a lot of things that go back to my early days and why we started doing the things we did, so there were strong music references from the past, as you can see, said Simons about the collection, in an interview to Vogue magazine. 

A dystopian fantasy of blending cultures, distressed tailored clothing with models holding umbrellas, trench coats and oversized sweaters was the anthem of Simons SS 18 collection. A variety of knitwear and wool pieces with wide trousers were also additions to the collections. Glossified rain and trench coats painted a bleak, dystopian image. Simons fantastical world was layered with nostalgic references and visions of a futuristic, techno world. 

Raf Simons talked about the inspiring theme of the collection saying, "there are juxtapositions in a different way taken out of context, basically; it’s about movies (Blade Runner) it’s about cultures sliding together—that’s the most important message for me, Asian culture and the culture of the west coming together. And you know there was a bit of new wave, punk attitude, but not aesthetically, more in the attitude like taking different kinds of things . . . good vibes. . . I wanted it to be energetic.” Simons mixing of East and West translated into a modern aesthetic that accentuated the clothing while depicting a moody perspective of the past decades.