There are few cult followings like a Raf Simons cult following—just ask any streetwear fiend. His fashion career began in the mid-'90s, when he launched his own line. Ten years later, he became the creative director of Jil Sander, then he took over for Galliano at Dior, and last year he was appointed the Chief Creative Officer of Calvin Klein. Through every station, Simons has set the tone for menswear shapes and styles, pushing the industry in directions that were scarcely predictable but ultimately inevitable. He's known for mixing low influences with warped shapes, and blending materials and textures with unexpected details, which forces us to reevaluate the expected and play more with fashion.
Simons predominantly works in apparel, but his ongoing collaboration with Adidas has inspired practically unrivaled ferocity for collectors. And Adidas just unveiled the latest iteration: the fall/winter 2017 Adidas by Raf Simons collection. This collection features six different silhouettes in 18 different colorways, and prices range from $330 to $560 (P16,693.05 to P28,327.60).
Raf Simons Ozweego III in red.
Simons' own Ozweego is the look that is most recognizable Adidas as a Raf Simons design, and is a global streetwear favorite everywhere, from Soho to Tokyo. This season, there are four colorways of the Ozweego III, including an all black, white and gold, black and red, and an all white. This past season, the most popular sneaker from the collection was an off-white pair of Ozweegos (described as the "bunnies") that the all white FW17 pair likely references.
RS Stan Smith Comfort Badge in red.
Another favorite from the fall/winter 2017 collection is a trio of Stan Smith Comfort Badges, which use a Velcro-strapped Stan Smith as the base. A giant woven varsity letter "R" is stitched on top of the sneaker, reaching from the sole to the laces. It's almost unrecognizable as a letter, instead becoming a graphic and textural element on entirely tonal sneakers. These will be available in black, red, and white.
Canvas fabric hits hard on the Detroit Runner, Spirit Low, and Spirit V. The Detroit Runner uses chunky soles with metallic hits of color as a base for a low profile upper. The Spirit Low has a very retro look like an early 1970s canvas basketball shoe, while the Spirit V takes that silhouette and plays with some contrast paneling. A classic lace-up Stan Smith appears in off white with black on the tongue and heel; the perforated three stripes are replaced by a perforated R for "Raf."
The collection is the perfect microcosm of everything that makes Simons such a beloved figure: Each one of these sneakers features elements we recognize and can place in history, but are reconfigured and made fresh again without a complete rewrite. We know these elements but never thought to put them together in this way. Luckily, Simons did.
Here are some others from the collection:
Detroit Black Runner
Spirit Low White
Raf Simons Spirit V
This story originally appeared on Esquire.com.
* Minor edits have been made by the Esquiremag.ph editors.
