Raf Simons

“I couldn't go now to a brand that had a niche attitude like... gothic. I couldn't do that. Well, I could do it, but I wouldn't find it interesting, challenging.”

“If I see a fashion show with literal influences, it doesn't make me think any more. It doesn't make me dream.”

“Every weekend, I'm on the highway to Antwerp. I need to be there, to have the calm. It's a whole different life: I jump on my bike, and it's so small, I can be anywhere in a minute. I like to be at home when there's free time because when you're at a big company, you're constantly surrounded by 30 people.”

“My inspiration is endless; I can't define it. It is a constant flow and evolution. In general, I'm taking it from everywhere. People get nervous when they walk with me, as I'll see something and suddenly have to text it to myself.”

“You can instantly spot a Chanel woman, so I want to develop the Dior woman.”

“For me, Warhol made so much sense.”

“I like very much to put on fashion shows.”

“People who don't know me look at my world as something very hard-core, and I don't feel it that way. It's not what attracts me.”

“Unlike fashion, art isn't applied. It doesn't have to serve anybody. It doesn't have to be there for any other reason than to give an impression of what the world is about.”

“Our society wants things to grow, and our society wants things to become bigger and bigger. Everything has to be put under the spotlight.”

“I never really have to sit at a desk thinking, 'What should I do now?' It doesn't work like that for me, and it never has. My thinking process is constant.”

“The fashion thing is something I do, and yes, it is definitely also becoming a part of myself and my personality. It also doesn't really feel like a job, either: it's a dream or a passion or something.”

“I was raised in a very happy nest by very happy people, and I like to think that those are enough ingredients to make me succeed at Dior.”

“There are people who, if they see something in couture that they perceive as ready-to-wear, they're in shock.”

“I know this independence is what people like most about my brand.”

“My dad only ever talked about two things: bicycles and Mercedes.”

“We Belgians love when we can go to L.A. because the city is amazing and the climate is fantastic.”

“Fashion is so mass-produced now; I hope there will come a refocus on how people see couture. And I would also hope for a new focus on the craft.”

“I find it fascinating to see the fact that women want to buy things that they see on men.”

“What I've been conscious of, from the beginning is that I can't be Jil Sander.”