On Thursday, fashion tragedy struck in France when Raf Simons revealed he’d be leaving his position as creative director at Dior due to “personal reasons.” No longer will Sterling Ruby-inspired designs grace the runway, every flower in Europe picked for the purpose of creating a spectacular set for a 10 minute show, or Jennifer Lawrence be contractually obligated to wear a design from the famed house on the red carpet. What’s next for Simons is up in the air:  Will he focus on menswear? Replace Nicolas Ghesquière at Louis Vuitton in a coup d'état (let the rumors begin!)? Or maybe he’ll start a women’s line of his own. Whatever it may be, he’ll be fine. He can finally leave Paris, give up on his language lessons, and become a luddite (the Internet scares him). But the biggest question of the shakeup is: what will happen to Pieter Mulier, his right-hand man? 

For anyone who’s watched the documentary Dior & I, it’s pretty obvious who the star of the film is. While Simons, who’s plucked from Belgium just weeks before Dior’s scheduled couture show in 2012, is technically the focus, Mulier actually steals the spotlight with his smile and compassion for underlings. Simons pulls his hair out because the fabric makers insist they can’t replicate Ruby’s work and then he goes all Steve Jobs on them and is like “nothing is impossible.” They eventually deliver, but do so angrily and complain to Mulier along the way. Florence Chehet, the première for the atelier flou and Monique Bailly, the première of the atelier tailleur, are chilly to Simons but flirt with Mulier. Their looks of disappointment upon learning he has a boyfriend are heartbreaking. Mulier’s the middle man for the seamstresses and Simons and both of their confidantes. Also he’s adorable — did I already mention that? 

Mulier’s been with Simons since 2002, at Raf’s eponymous label and Jil Sander in addition to Dior. “It evolved from being colleagues to a friendship now,” Mulier told AnOther of the pair’s relationship. “I always think it’s like a ping pong game. He taught me a lot about art – you know his references are a lot of art and architecture – and luckily this is also my background so this helps and I think it works in both ways.”

But maybe it’s time for Mulier to break away from the Raf & Pieter show and become a solo artist. Surely he’d be able to negotiate a contract with Bernard Arnault, chief executive officer LVMH Moët Hennessy, because based on one documentary it’s pretty obvious Pieter's a charmer. And besides his superior people skills, he’s got some sartorial skills as well. 

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