Raf Simons: Virginia Creeper

A collection made iconic by resellers & ASAP Rocky?

Before talking about this iconic Raf Simons show, it’s important to set the context. Raf Simons was an emerging designer at the time, but he became a true fashion star in January 2001 after presenting his Autumn-Winter 2001/2002 show "Riot Riot Riot," which clearly made a lasting impression. This was just a few months before the famous show we’re about to discuss: Virginia Creeper (Fall 2002).

A fashion show in the middle of the forest

It’s with this growing fame that he presented his "Virginia Creeper" show, which is still considered one of his most iconic shows to this day.

Virginia Creeper is a plant native to North America, known for growing extremely quickly. It can cover large surfaces, kill plants around it, and thus become very invasive. For this show, Raf Simons wanted to explore "natural-born destruction."

The show took place in the middle of a forest, with models walking through a halo of light. The colors were very earthy, with greens, browns, and other natural tones.

It’s a continuation of his previous show, but with a more outdoor aesthetic while still keeping the streetwear vibe with sweaters, varsity jackets, and such. There’s a clear intent to focus on layering different materials

He layers a translucent coat over a varsity jacket, for example. Personally, I love this collection, the way everything is styled, the visuals, the setting… But the hype surrounding this show in recent years raises some questions.

Why so much hype around this show?

Some pieces from this collection are now worth a fortune in the second-hand market, like the "Nebraska" sweater, which is actually an incredibly simple design, or even the Virginia Creeper hoodie. However, we can still highlight an interesting detail: The pieces in this collection were treated with chemicals and dye to purposely speed up the aging process giving them their signature worn look.

But the question is: why so much hype around this show and these pieces in particular?

The show was praised by some critics, but it didn’t make much of a splash at the time, unlike his previous "Riot Riot Riot" show.

The influence of ASAP Rocky, Virgil Abloh…

What explains for me the growing mainstream interest in this collection is the impact of ASAP Rocky, who, at the height of his career, was like a true ambassador for Raf Simons. It’s also Kanye, who didn’t hesitate to highlight the designer and introduce him to a very wide audience.

But it’s also Virgil Abloh (rest in peace) who had a huge impact back then and never hid the fact that Raf was an endless inspiration for him. In fact, Virgil Abloh repeated the famous "Nebraska" sweatshirt in his Off-White SS 2015 collection.

These are pieces that began to be heavily promoted on social media and saw their value rise on second-hand platforms like Grailed.

Fifteen years ago, a "Nebraska" crewneck was definitely not worth a fortune…

But for me, it’s also the timelessness of the pieces from this collection that makes it a success.

Most of the looks are still very wearable today, and the natural theme resonates a lot nowadays.

Some might say Virginia Creeper is overrated, that there are many more beautiful things in Raf Simons’ career, and that’s probably true. Nevertheless, I remain a big fan of this collection, which will forever be etched in the long history of Raf.