Futuristic Geek Chic Hits Catwalk

Futuristic Belgian designer Raf Simons' otherworldly, vividly colored designs had the audience transfixed at Jil Sander's spring/summer 2008 runway show in Milan. "It's something I hear more and more," the confident Simons told the Observer. People tell me that at the shows you can hear a needle drop."

Simons isn't a household name but fashion insiders see him as one of the most influential people working today and admire his designs' cultural themes and extreme, modern ideas. "I fantasize about what the future could be in terms of aesthetic and psychology. It's the most difficult thing to do because you have to start from the past," he said. (More Raf Simons stories.)