Raf Simons to leave Dior

We didn’t see this coming! In a shocking move, WWD announced that designer Raf Simons is set to exit Christian Dior after three-and-a-half years at the storied French luxury fashion house.

And sadly the designer will not present a final collection; his spring 2016 show, set in a courtyard at the Louvre, was his last.

The reason? According to Dior, Simons decided to leave “for personal reasons.”

It’s also reported the designer and brand didn’t agree on the terms of his new contract.

“It is a decision based entirely and equally on my desire to focus on other interests in my life, including my own brand, and the passions that drive me outside my work,” Simmons said in a statement. “Christian Dior is an extraordinary company, and it has been an immense privilege to write a few pages of this magnificent book.”

But one can’t help but wonder if this is a part of the Alexander Wang effect, of designers not wanting to play puppet to mega corporations. In July, it was announced that Wang was stepping down from powerhouse Balenciaga, where he said “he felt like just another employee.”

“I’m questioning a lot,” Simons said in the WWD article about the current fast pace of fashion. “I feel a lot of people are questioning. We have a lot of conversation about it: Where is it going? It’s not only the clothes. It’s the clothes, it’s everything, the Internet.”

It’ll be interesting to see where Simons goes next — or if he will decide to just focus on his own menswear label.

But enough about Simons: Another high power fashion design job just opened up! Maybe they’ll give it to a woman for a change.