MAPPING OUT RAF SIMONS: 1996-2001 / 2001-2006

15 years ago, Hideo Hashiura, founder of Tokyo vintage store, LAILA, embarked on a mission to feed his insatiable obsession for collecting archival pieces from Raf Simons' expansive body of work. Fast-forwarding to today, some 700 pages and 1,300 photographs later, Hashiura, with some help, has managed to collect nearly every single Raf Simons piece that's been produced from the years of 1996-2006, and document them in a comprehensive two-volume book series — with the exception of a few grails and a peculiar missing "SS01" collection. The reason? Apart from fulfilling his own obsession, the vintage connoisseur hopes to encourage people to think about fashion through the lens of the past. Tokyo Vintage store, LAILA debuts their aforementioned two-part book under the publication moniker of Printings.jp. The series is truly a marvel of painstaking documentation as well as an appreciation for Raf Simons garments. Photographing 1,300 pieces behind a crisp white backdrop, the book is complete with a short break in 2001, and continues on through until 2006. Chronicled are some of the most influential collections such as the infamous Raf Simon 1997 "Teenage Summercamp" Collection which arguably started the trend of graphic prints appearing on garments other than T-shirts. The Raf Simons 2000 Spring/Summer "Summa Cum Laude" collection highlights collegiate styles informed by the gabber club, a movement started by subversive Belgian youth. Also included is the 2003 Spring/Summer "Consumed" collection with the all-over print white bomber; today prices for the bomber soar approximately at $5,000 USD. The list of Simons reverence goes on. What's striking at the core of 1996-2001 / 2001-2006, is not simply the lengthy documentation, but rather the insight that's realized between the pages: How learning about significant fashion movements in the past is important for understanding the dizzying landscape of the present, and perhaps coming up with new ideas for the uncertain future. Scroll through the photos above for a look at some pages from the 1996-2001 / 2001-2006 two-volume set.

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