Yannick Abrath

Yannick Abrath is a Belgian model whose career is closely connected to Raf Simons. A recurring face in the designer’s shows and advertising, he became part of a creative world in which casting helped express the clothes’ cultural references as clearly as their cut.

Scouted by Simons’ team in Antwerp, Yannick began walking for the label with its spring-summer 2009 collection. That introduction developed into a sustained working relationship, extending to Jil Sander during Simons’ tenure and the designer’s collaboration with Fred Perry. In its 2016 guide to Simons’ menswear, Dazed singled Yannick out as one of his longstanding muses.

His Jil Sander spring 2011 campaign placed him at the center of one of Simons’ defining collections for the house. Repeated appearances for the designer’s own label followed, including the fall-winter 2012 campaign and, several years later, spring-summer 2017’s collaboration with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation. The continuity makes him a recognizable participant in the designer’s history, across different collections and creative collaborators.

Yannick also built a career beyond that association. Runway work included Hermès and Dries Van Noten, while fashion stories and retail imagery brought him to a broader audience. He became a recurring face for Oki-ni and appeared in Topman Lens’ fall 2011 designer-collaboration lookbook. Advertising for Sand Copenhagen and Linda Farrow extended his portfolio into tailoring and eyewear.

His later runway appearances included Dunhill’s 2019 shows and Gucci’s fall-winter 2022 collection. Those bookings continued a career that began within a particular Belgian designer’s circle and developed across the international menswear circuit.