Your At-Home Movie Watchlist, Courtesy of Raf Simons
10 must-watch films and series that inspired the legendary designer.
Belgian designer Raf Simons has shaped trends in fashion, particularly in menswear, for over two decades. Drawing on references both obscure and well-known, Simons places these elements within his seasonal collections, using these touchpoints to critique wider pop culture. Nowhere is this more evident than in his designs that directly reference films.
From Steven Spielberg’s Jaws to David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, Simons’ use of films as cultural touchstones has been a constant throughout his career, whether at his namesake label, Dior, CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC or Jil Sander.
Now's a better time than ever to brush up on your film history from the comfort of your own couch. Here are 10 films to stream now, helpfully 'curated' by Raf Simons himself.
Blade Runner
Presenting a vision of the future, Simons leaned on Ridley Scott’s 1982 dystopian classic Blade Runner for Spring/Summer 2018. Pairing Eastern and Western cultures together, offerings brought together the designer’s signature punk attitude with sharp cuts and stylized typography.
Brand: Raf Simons
Season: Spring/Summer 2018
Film: Blade Runner
Where to Stream It: Amazon
Blue Velvet
For Fall/Winter 2019, Simons drew on David Lynch’s 1986 cult masterpiece Blue Velvet. Placing Laura Dern’s character Sandy Williams front and center, the long-sleeve tee is among the most recent examples of the designer’s obsession with the legendary American filmmaker.
Brand: Raf Simons
Season: Fall/Winter 2019
Film: Blue Velvet
Where to Stream It: Amazon
Christiane F. (Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo)
Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, better known as Christiane F. in English-speaking countries, is a drug-filled odyssey by Uli Edel that takes place in 1970s West Berlin. When Simons referenced the film in his Fall/Winter 2018 collection, the media was quick to drum up controversy over Simons’ ambiguous use of the film’s bleak subject matter.
Brand: Raf Simons
Season: Fall/Winter 2018
Film: Christiane F. (Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo)
Where to Stream It: Amazon (DVD)
Jaws
Among the films that has had the most real-world impact—people were terrified to go to the beach in the summer of 1975—Jaws continued Simons’ exploration of Americana during his tenure as creative director at CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC. Placing the iconic movie poster front and center, and drawing on other elements of the film throughout the brand’s Spring/Summer 2019 collection, Simons artfully used the film to explore the relationship between man and nature.
Brand: CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC
Season: Spring/Summer 2019
Film: Jaws
Where to Stream It: Hulu
Wild at Heart
Another reference to David Lynch’s filmography, Simons nodded to the director’s 1990 classic by once again placing actress Laura Dern front and center. Also appearing in the designer’s Fall/Winter 2019 collection, this time around he threw a dramatic blood red filter over Dern’s character, Lula Pace Fortune.
Brand: Raf Simons
Season: Fall/Winter 2019
Film: Wild at Heart
Where to Stream It: Netflix
Safe
It’s no surprise Simons would reference Todd Haynes, a pioneer of the New Queer Cinema movement, and his 1995 psychological horror film Safe. For his Fall/Winter 2018 collection at CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC, Simons called back to the garms Julianne Moore’s character wears to shield herself from environmental illnesses by outfitting models in balaclavas, “survival blanket” dresses and protective gloves.
Brand: CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC
Season: Fall/Winter 2018
Film: Safe
Where to Stream It: Amazon
Looney Toons
A classic cartoon franchise rather than a singular film, the Belgian auteur referenced perhaps the most iconic animated American series of all in his Fall/Winter 2018 collection for CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC. Placing abstract versions of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner on oversized sweaters, the reference was yet another comment on American culture—its obsession with wanton death and violence.
Brand: CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC
Season: Fall/Winter 2018
Series: Looney Toons
Where to Stream It: Netflix
Picnic at Hanging Rock
For his final collection at Dior, Simons chose to reference the 1975 Australian film Picnic at Hanging Rock. In particular, the designs were inspired by the airy Edwardian outfits worn by the characters in the eerie mystery drama.
Brand: Dior
Season: Spring/Summer 2016
Film: Picnic at Hanging Rock
Where to Stream It: Amazon
A Nightmare on Elm Street
Simons veered toward the horrifying with his Fall/Winter 2016 collection. Citing Wes Craven’s A Nightmare on Elm Street as inspiration, the collection featured striped, oversized knit sweaters like the one worn by the film’s antagonist, Freddy Krueger.
Brand: Raf Simons
Season: Fall/Winter 2016
Film: A Nightmare on Elm Street
Where to Stream It: Amazon
Twin Peaks
For his Fall/Winter 2016 collection, his first show after his stint with Dior, Simons once again paid tribute to his favorite director by referencing David Lynch in the collection’s notes. Simons revisited Lynch’s iconic Twin Peaks in his Fall/Winter 2019 collection, rendering Dale Cooper, Laura Palmer and Bobby Briggs in a dark red color palette. The result is a tee that captures the sense of mystery and dread that hangs over the cult series.
Brand: Raf Simons
Season: Fall/Winter 2019
Series: Twin Peaks
Where to Stream It: Netflix