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Raf Simons and Rhianna, just one of his many big-name supporters
Credit: Getty Images 

To say Raf Simons left the fashion world in a state of shock in April this year is an understatement. After three years at the helm of one of the most prestigious fashion design jobs in existence, Simons quit Christian Dior without warning, citing the fast-pace of the fashion industry as one of his main reasons for throwing in the towel.

“Everything is done in three weeks, maximum five,” he said in one interview. “You have no incubation time for ideas and incubation time is very important.” That, for the self-proclaimed perfectionist Raf Simons, was not okay.

However, now it’s emerged there was another far more ambitious reason: he was desperate to concentrate on his own label and thrust it further into the limelight.

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Backstage at Raf Simons AW16 show in Paris
Credit: NOWFASHION

And that he’s doing. Simons has announced he will show his next collection, Autumn/Winter 2017, at New York Fashion Week: Men’s. In his eponymous label’s 20-year history, Simons has shown every collection in Paris – only twice changing it up to Italy for the prestigious Pitti Uomo.

The decision to show in New York also comes after Raf took the reigns as sole chief creative officer at Calvin Klein, seeing the prestigious designer move permanently to New York (even though his own label’s HQ is based in Antwerp, Belgium).

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Raf Simons AW16
Credit: NOWFASHION

And with New York Fashion Week: Men’s struggling to even a tiny fraction of the attention (womens) New York Fashion Week receives, Simons’ decision to show at the event could not come sooner.

His influence in the fashion world is so mammoth that European bigwigs in the publishing world and powerhouse buyers will happily fly in to see what he – and thus, the rest of the New York shows – have to offer.

So what should you expect from Simons? It’s simple. His usual, minimal aesthetic we all know and love, of course.

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Backstage at Raf Simons AW16 show in Paris
Credit: NOWFASHION