They are both 44 years old. Of slim, waifish build. Nervous disposition. Menswear designers. Children of the 90s who championed the fashion of the gritty streets rather than the gilded ateliers. Courtiers of quietude. Quiet revolutionaries.
Raf Simons and Hedi Slimane have the fashion world's eyes on them as they prepare to show their collections for two hallowed houses: Dior and Saint Laurent respectively.
Scroll on to see where the similarities between the two designers end and which celebrities are siding with whom for the greatest fashion face-off since fashion face-offs began.
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The first round of battle begins today on the Dior catwalk as Antwerp designer Raf Simons sends out his second collection for the house, after a brilliant Couture collection for the hallowed house in June.
The Dior camp is already gathered closely round him: graceful, elegant and preternaturally poised, his acolytes include Julianne Moore and Emma Watson.
Jessica Biel was one of the first to debut Raf Simons for Dior, wearing one of the defining pieces from the collection at the Hollywood premiere of Total Recall.
Having taken an extended sabbatical from fashion design since leaving Dior Homme in 2007, the Paris-born, LA-based is about to unleash his rock n'roll aesthetic on the house of Saint Laurent - and probably the world.
Who's in his camp? His gritty, tortured-artist style has many muses such as Pete Doherty, but there's a fresh market for his look, as exemplified by Gwyneth Paltrow toting his first bag for the label.
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Rock wife Gwyneth Paltrow was the first to be spotted wearing a piece of Hedi Slimane for Saint Laurent. This mink coloured tote bag is a minimalist but luxurious accessory - a hint of things to come?
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Look at all those Saint Laurent bags! As sure an indication as any that Scarlett Johansson is firmly in the Hedi camp
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Frances Bean Cobain has been the subject of Hedi Slimane's fascinated lens on numerous occasions - the daughter of Courtney Love and Kurt Cobain would be a strong fighter for the Hedi camp
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Doherty wears a lot of Dior Homme and has been photographed on numerous occasions by Slimane. A muse if ever there was one.