Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais (); pcd, Nord-Pas-Calés); is a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais. Nord-Pas-de-Calais ...
, France) is a French
designer
A designer is a person who plans the form or structure of something before it is made, by preparing drawings or plans.
In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, products, processes, laws, games, graphics, services, or exp ...
who has been the artistic director of Paule Ka since 2019. He is an "invited member" of the Chamber of Parisian Couture union.
Early life and education
Simoens was born in
Lesquin
Lesquin () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.
Population
Heraldry
Economy
When Flandre Air existed, it had its head office at Lille Airport and in Lesquin. On 30 March 2001 Flandre, Proteus Airlines, and Regional Airl ...
, near
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
, in 1984. At first inclined to pursue filmmaking, he later deemed it too technical. At a Madonna concert in June 2001, the ''
Drowned World Tour
The Drowned World Tour (billed as Drowned World Tour 2001) was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Madonna in support of her seventh and eighth studio albums ''Ray of Light'' (1998) and ''Music'' (2000), respectively. The tou ...
'', he decided to make fashion his profession. The sketches of
Jean Paul Gaultier
Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an "enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...
, displayed in the program, were the trigger for his decision on his future profession.
His degree in hand, Maxime went to study applied arts at the School of Conde de Lyon, then joined the Paris Union Chamber of Couture. He came first in several fashion contests. Forever marked by the power of the costumes by Jean Paul Gaultier, he decided to force open the doors of this house in order to win his first contest in the realm of accessories. In 2006, he graduated top of his class and still learning from the creators of such large homes
Elie Saab
Elie Saab ( ar, إيلي صعب; born 4 July 1964) is a Lebanese fashion designer.
His main workshop is in Lebanon, with additional workshops in Milan and Paris. He started his business in the early 1980s and specialized in bridal couture (ex ...
,
John Galliano
John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer from Gibraltar. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. Since 2014, Galliano has been the crea ...
In 2009, Simoens created his own brand in 2009. He strives to create his world free of influence and create its logo, a barcode, a nod to the consumer society. In February 2009 he was selected to
Hyères
Hyères (), Provençal Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
The old town lies from the sea clustered arou ...
Fashion Festival in April and thus presented the first 10 pieces of his first collection, an innovative vision, combining graphic design at the architectural level of the garment. His silhouettes combine structure and fluidity, and he's often compared in the press to a young Yves Saint Laurent.
In 2013, LVMH took a minority stake in Simoens’ own brand for an undisclosed sum. That same year, the brand unveiled its first
ready-to-wear
Ready-to-wear (or ''prêt-à-porter''; abbreviated RTW; "off-the-rack" or "off-the-peg" in casual use) is the term for ready-made garments, sold in finished condition in standardized sizes, as distinct from made-to-measure or bespoke clothing ...
collection, together with its first bag and shoes collection. His women’s label closed in 2015.
Léonard, 2011–2012
From 2011 to 2012, Simoens briefly served as creative director of French fashion house Léonard. In the Grand Palais in Paris he presented his first collection for Leonard on 5 March 2012.
Azzaro, 2017–2020
From 2017 until 2020, Simoens was the artistic director of Azzaro, with responsibility for the brand’s couture collections, ready-to-wear lines, and accessories for women and men; he was succeeded by
Olivier Theyskens
Olivier Theyskens (; born January 4, 1977 in Brussels, Belgium) is a Belgian fashion designer who has worked with major design houses, including Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory.
Early life
Theyskens was born to a Belgian chemical engineer and ...
.
Collections
Nourishing inspiration in art, music and movies from all eras and styles, Simoens creates narrative collections each season telling a new story full of icons and strong visuals. The identity of his style is marked by the structure refining the silhouette, cuts, contrasts, embroidery, incorporating printed and put into abyss of optical illusions, organza leaves miles to be desired.
Events
On several occasions, Simoens dressed
Melanie Laurent
Melanie is a feminine given name derived from the Greek μελανία (melania), "blackness" and that from μέλας (melas), meaning "dark".Astrid Berges-Frisbey. On the fourth season of ''
Gossip Girl
''Gossip Girl'' is an American teen drama television series based on the novel series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series, developed for television by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, ran on The CW network for six sea ...
'', he dressed the two main heroines,
Blake Lively
Blake Ellender Lively ( Brown; born August 25, 1987) is an American actress. Born in Los Angeles, Lively is the daughter of actor Ernie Lively, and made her professional debut in his directorial project ''Sandman'' (1998). She starred as Brid ...
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...