Raf Simons Archive Sale Tokyo: Rare Garments Hit Dover Street Market Ginza

Raf Simons Isn’t Done Talking — He’s Editing the Conversation

Three years after shutting down his eponymous label, Raf Simons is reopening the vault — not with a runway show, but with something arguably more powerful: access.

From December 29 through January 18, the Belgian designer will host a three-week archive and stock sale at Dover Street Market Ginza in Tokyo, offering fashion obsessives a rare chance to own pieces pulled directly from Simons’ personal edit of his brand’s legacy.

This isn’t a clearance. It’s a curation.

A Living Archive, Released in Chapters

The sale will unfold in weekly drops, with new pieces introduced each week, reinforcing the idea that this is less about liquidation and more about storytelling. Expect leftover stock alongside rare archival garments, many of which have been unseen — or unobtainable — for years.

Simons himself will be onsite on the first day, signing pieces and marking the moment with the same intimacy that defined his label at its peak.

More Than Clothes: Objects That Defined a Generation

What elevates this event beyond fashion resale is the inclusion of archival ephemera — the artifacts that shaped Raf Simons as a cultural force.

Among the highlights:

Original show invitations, including the vinyl-record-shaped invite from the 1997 Black Palms Paris show
A box set of VHS tapes documenting the first nine Raf Simons runway shows
Archival photographs, posters, and books tracing nearly three decades of influence

This is youth culture, preserved in physical form.

Why Raf Simons Still Matters

Founded in Belgium in 1995, the Raf Simons label became one of the most influential forces in modern menswear — despite remaining relatively small in scale. Simons redefined silhouettes, championed subcultures, and helped popularize the skinny, elongated proportions that reshaped how a generation dressed.

The brand’s impact far outweighed its size, ultimately launching Simons into top creative roles at Jil Sander, Dior, and Calvin Klein. Today, he serves as Co-Creative Director of Prada alongside Miuccia Prada, shaping one of fashion’s most intellectually charged houses.

In late 2022, Simons announced that Spring/Summer 2023 would be the label’s final collection — a deliberate ending, not a fade-out.

Why Tokyo, Why Now

Tokyo has always understood Raf Simons.

From its deep reverence for fashion history to its collector culture, the city offers the perfect backdrop for this kind of moment — one where clothing, memory, and meaning intersect. Hosting the sale at Dover Street Market Ginza underscores its significance: this is fashion as archive, not trend.

The Takeaway

This isn’t about nostalgia.

It’s about recognizing that Raf Simons didn’t disappear — he evolved. And before moving further forward, he’s allowing the past to circulate again, in the hands of those who understand its weight.

For collectors, students, and lifelong fans, this sale isn’t just a shopping opportunity. It’s a rare moment to step inside one of fashion’s most influential minds — piece by piece.

FASHIONADO