Resale is one of the fastest-growing facets of fashion right now, driven by a desperate need for more sustainable shopping habits and a spreading-like-wildfire love of archive digging. One of the most difficult things about cracking the code to online vintage, though, is knowing what and how to cop. With resale platforms like ebay, Grailed, and Vestiaire Collective allowing us to navigate archive pieces easier than ever before, it’s never been more simple to get your hands on grailed gems.
Few designers have an archive as extensive or as coveted as that of Raf Simons, with certain pieces selling for as much as $47,000. As the Belgian designer takes up residence at the co-helm of Prada, his eponymous label’s archive begins to take on a new meaning, settling further into its position as part of fashion history.
In Raf Simons’ world, sweaters hold great importance. Oversized knits and graphic work crewnecks have become some of the designer’s most signature looks. So, in honor of one of the best to ever do it, we took to the ‘net to round up some of the best vintage Raf Simons sweaters we could find.
Shop the best vintage Raf Simons sweaters we found below.
SS20 Events In Dense Fog Sweater
For some purists, SS20 is too recent a season to be worth collecting. We say get in there early. In a way, every collection has a story behind it, but some more than others. Raf Simons SS20 saw the Belgian designer make a bold statement after leaving Calvin Klein prematurely. And when Raf makes a point, he makes it so damn well.
FW03 Unknown Pleasures Sweater
Few album covers have been referenced as much as Joy Division's 1979 Unknown Pleasures. The soundscape graphic designed by Peter Savile has taken on a life of its own, which — for younger generations — is more recognizable than the album, or even band, itself. FW03 saw Simons take his turn with the iconic design, detailing fine knits and accessories with the artwork. It remains one of Raf's most coveted collections to date, hence the hefty price tag on this classic piece.
FW05 History Of My World Sweater
Marking Simons' first decade in the fashion industry, History of My World landed in FW05. The collection revolved around military-influenced pieces, skewed and transformed by bold proportions and shape-distorting details. Tailoring played a major role in the lauded collection which stuck to a simple black, white, and grey palette. In amongst the trench coats and tailoring, though, were everyday pieces like this crewneck sweater with patchwork embellishment.
FW19 Oversized Sweater
While this oversized, cropped number only dates back to FW19, it finds its roots a few years earlier. In FW17 Raf Simons dropped a set of sweaters cut to exactly the same silhouette, with the only difference being that the graphic to the front read “I Heart NY”. In the same font and dimensions, this FW19 issue replaces NY with Simons’ initials. This piece revolves around its dropped shoulders which act as the starting point for a beautifully eye-catching, draping fit.
FW20 Letter Badge Sweater
FW20 was a great season for Raf. The show took inspiration from Blade Runner-esque dystopian landscapes which, with hindsight, were just around the corner thanks to an upcoming pandemic. The overarching aesthetic of the future-facing collection was one of contrast: classic tailoring was futurized with slogans like 'Solar Youth' and classic varsity knits saw updates with details like silver-tone zips to the neck.
FW02 Nebraska Sweater
This one might be considered cheating, but we couldn’t overlook it. Raf Simons recently took a retrospective trip through the archives in his Archive Redux collection which revived a handful of iconic RS designs. The label’s Nebraska crewnecks have always stood out, so we were more than relieved to see a bunch of the styles resurrected from FW02.
FW15 Intarsia Sweater
One of the defining characteristics of Raf Simons sweaters is that there's always a slight subversion. In fact, it's a characteristic of everything Raf does. Whether it's some loose threads, a zip where you least expect it, playful proportions, or in this case, an intarsia hummingbird graphic to the bottom corner.
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