Bridget Foley Says Raf Simons Was “Dumped”

When it was first rumored that Raf Simons would step down from his job as creative director of Jil Sander after presenting the brand’s fall collection in Milan last week, everyone assumed the next announcement would be of his appointment at Dior. But over the past week the press has started singing a different tune.
Initially, it was suggested that Simons would pass on Dior in favor of focusing on his own collection. With the respect—and loyal following—that he’s earned during his tenure at Jil Sander he’d have no trouble launching an eponymous women’s collection.  The general consensus seemed to be that Simons could do whatever he wanted; after all, it was his choice to leave.  But today, WWD‘s Bridget Foley throws another wrench into the conversation by suggesting that Simons was “unceremoniously dumped” by the Italian brand.
Foley goes on to chastise the handling of the “dismissal,” from Jil Sander’s initial comment that her next project would be announced during the Milan collections to the industry’s reaction heralding Sander’s return before Simons was out the door.  “It’s surprising that Sander would act with such apparent disregard for another designer,” Foley writes.
Does knowing that Simons was fired after the brilliant work he did for Jil Sander cast a shadow over the original designer’s otherwise celebrated return?  Kind of.  But as long as Simons continues designing—whether eponymously or for Dior—and Sander pulls off a triumphant return, everyone wins.