Encouraged by Linda Loppa, fashion director at the Antwerp Royal Academy, the self-taught designer Raf Simons set out to launch his label in 1995. With a background in industrial and furniture design, the Belgian designer draws on youth culture, music and performance arts as inspiration for his modern menswear clothing. As Simons continues to deliver subversive slogans, dramatic volumes and bold colors, in 2017 the acclaimed designer was appointed as one of Time's 100 "Icons" of the decade.