RAF SIMONS has confirmed what we already knew about his debut Dior collection - that it was a mix of the label's heritage and a new modern approach to couture.

"I've been very much involved with the period that Christian Dior defined, 1947 to 1957, and it seemed to me very normal to jump into it and work with that, to work with the archive and see how it can be modernised," Simons explained. "And also to change the psychology of people who are interested in couture. The way I've been looking at it so far is as a still image, something you look at for that moment. I think lots of people see it as a still, an image from the red carpet. I want to make it more dynamic, appeal to a person who has a different energy - a younger person, in mind, not necessarily in age. And I think couture is very much about curating something unique for women. Fashion is so mass-produced now; I hope there will come a refocus on how people see couture. And I would also hope for a new focus on the craft."