Ruffo Research recruited Raf Simons and Véronique Branquinho to design its Autumn/Winter and Spring/Summer 1999 collections, with Branquinho responsible for womenswear and Simons for menswear. The collaboration produced some of the most elusive leather pieces associated with Raf’s early period, yet genuine 1999 menswear is increasingly difficult to distinguish from later Ruffo seasons, womenswear, or simply Ruffo-tagged leather pieces.
Ruffo was an important supplier and producer of leather for some of the most influential designers of the period, including Helmut Lang, who used their leathers extensively. What makes the Raf Simons pieces particularly special is how directly they translate the language of his own label into an entirely different level of material and construction. His Ruffo work feels like an extension of the seminal early Raf collections, stripped back and elevated through exceptional leather and production — essentially the luxury realisation of ideas already present in his own work.
This overcoat is a particularly strong example. The design directly references a similar silhouette from Raf Simons AW99, with the characteristic collar and overall construction carried across into the Ruffo version. The Ruffo interpretation is distinguished by its greater length and considerably roomier proportions, alongside concealed pockets integrated into the side seams. Despite the scarcity of surviving imagery and documentation from these early Ruffo collections, the relationship to Raf’s AW99 work is immediately apparent.
The coat features a concealed front button placket, fully quilted and lined interior, hidden side-seam pockets, and four internal breast pockets — two on each side. Constructed entirely in Ruffo leather, it represents the level of material quality that makes these pieces so desirable in comparison with contemporary Raf Simons garments.
Extremely scarce and, quite possibly, the only example currently available.
Tagged size: 50
Outer: Ruffo leather
Lining: 100% cupro
Made in: Italy
58cm pit to pit
48cm shoulder to shoulder
68cm sleeve, from shoulder seam to sleeve end
Condition: Excellent vintage condition; very lightly used.
