Raf Simons to start Ad campaign

[Casius]

MILAN — Other designers may be clipping their wings, but Raf Simons is spreading his.

Simons detailed plans for his eponymous label, which include his first ad campaign, a small furniture collection and two more stores in Asia — all despite the grim economic climate.

With the group’s sales expected to increase 15 percent to 9 million euros, or $12.1 million at current exchange, this year, the Belgian designer, who launched his signature men’s wear label in 1995, has every reason to be positive.

“You prepare yourself for a difficult year ahead — I am well-informed. I know companies are struggling, but without sounding pretentious, I really can’t believe we have such positive results,” Simons said at the headquarters of Futurenet, his de facto maison.

Futurenet holds exclusive licensing rights for all Raf Simons labels via a joint venture agreement with Japan’s Mitsui Group, which they inked in 2005. Production, for the most part, is centralized in Italy.

Musing on his fall collection, which marked a shift to classic tailoring, Simons said he wanted “to introduce a more mature collection in order to appeal to a more mature customer.

“I really thought about how I could create Brioni and Ermenegildo Zegna-type suits — but in my own way,” said Simons, 41. “The collection is evolving as I have evolved and in the way I wear my own clothes, not just in the fit.”

His debut ad campaign, which will launch in select magazines for fall, aims to support this message.

“It’s another way to communicate with your audience. Fashion shows can only do so much,” the designer said.

[Jon]

i've been dying to mention this... you want a good representation of the amount of pride that goes into this brand now? every "Raf Simons" tag from FW 08-09 was falling off the garments in store.

simply trying on the garments and the weight of the pricetags would cause the tag to fall off.... what a fucking embarassment. you could imagine how I felt helping customers with the product.

[BeauIXI]

I wonder if Rick will ever have an ad campaign. Imagine this on the side of a bus.

[Johnny]

^^^please move to wtf thread immediately

[Tombo]

what a sad day...When explaining why he didn't do ads wasn't it because: so he could spend his time on more important stuff..n that the mouth to mouth thing was way better for the brand in the long run?-That's what I've gotten out of reading interview with him on the subject.

Raf just became greedy>_<

[Faust]

Will this finally close debates about Raf, or do we need more?

[Casius]

I'm actually surprised he hasn't opened a European or US store yet. He must absolutely kill it in Asia to warrant more stores.

[asho]

whatever regarding the ads...
but i am interested in the furniture, this is where raf started so i'd expect a fairly high level of competence... once these appear final decisions can be made

[Jon]

dude,

Raf Simons with ads < Raf Simons with integrity

[asho]

dude,

Raf Simons with ads < Raf Simons with integrity

i'm not sure that ads and integrity are mutually exclusive but i do think that imitating zegna/brioni if you are raf simons and having integrity is.

that said i think raf adds would be an abomination though they may fill in the missing piece of the puzzle and create some understanding as to what the fuck the last collection was and how it fits in with the niche raf was so neatly carving for himself up until a few years ago.

if it's just some model with windswept hair in camel coat with a logo in the corner raf may as well be added to the kva hitlist

[Alesha]

I think that "Ad Campaign" is a little far fetched. With groups sales at 12kk$, its highly unlikely that Raf can afford any serious media weight without going mainstream and credits. Given current situation in the world, credit seems very unlikely and going mainstream is even more risky.

A dozen of ads in magazines where sales need stimulation will not really change Raf much.

As for mature consumer... I think Raf is making a serious marketing mistake. But we'll see :) Maybe they know better?

[BeauIXI]

I think he's striking when the iron is hot. I come from Vancouver, and the kids on the block are talking Raf, Raf by Raf, etc.. People still think he's got integrity and bringing something new, but, having little media attention before, he has an element of mystery. Seeing "RAF" displayed every month in Details, or something, could easily become something natural.. An ad campaign will emblazon his name into the mind of the everyday consumer, and increase sales, if not today, then tomorrow for sure.

As much as I hate to say it, I bet we can look out for a Raf x Kanye collaboration in the near future.

[NON]

The advertising vs integrity debacle is interesting. I agree with asho that having a campaign and integrity aren't mutually exclusive, as long as its right for the brand. The direction and execution has to be at the same level as the designer. If it's not in line with their ethos, people turn off and go elsewhere. In the end it's all about who is already buying the product and how you want to expand that customer base. Every brand reaches critical mass before it has to rethink itself at the core to grow. It would make more sense for these smaller brands to do non-traditional advertising rather than a print campaign. Put the same energy and thought process into different methods of advertising as they put into designing clothing. I think for the same dollar value you could do something more powerful, stay within the brand values and generate a lot of new business without degrading the brands authenticity.

[Fade to Black]

based on the f/w 09 runway his suits are less like zegna and brioni respectively but more kitonbrioni

the collection in stores now is pretty fucking bad in person in pretty much all aspects...time to revoke my defense of the one after

[Casius]

The advertising vs integrity debacle is interesting. I agree with asho that having a campaign and integrity aren't mutually exclusive, as long as its right for the brand. The direction and execution has to be at the same level as the designer. If it's not in line with their ethos, people turn off and go elsewhere. In the end it's all about who is already buying the product and how you want to expand that customer base. Every brand reaches critical mass before it has to rethink itself at the core to grow. It would make more sense for these smaller brands to do non-traditional advertising rather than a print campaign. Put the same energy and thought process into different methods of advertising as they put into designing clothing. I think for the same dollar value you could do something more powerful, stay within the brand values and generate a lot of new business without degrading the brands authenticity.

Good post. I think a good example would be Thom Browne's Pitti show. It did an exquisite job of conveying his thoughts/concepts for his brand more than any print ad could ever do. Now, with that said, he just released his first ad....lulz.

For Raf, it was only a matter of time. They're probably going to look exactly like the Jil Sander ads, or I would guess as that seams to be roughly the same audience these days.

Margiela will follow too, I can feel it....It's like a formula; Clothing=Furniture=Scent=Ads. (mash up the last three for any certain designer these days) I'm not saying it's bad as I think someone like Rick has done a good job with his furniture (albeit it's almost impossible to buy...or so I think..I don't know, I don't have that kind of dough).