Image via Complex Original
It’s out. The news that Raf Simons was named to the top creative post at Calvin Klein (that would be Chief Creative Officer) is finally official. But what exactly does that mean? In practice, it means the designer will head up not only the men’s and women’s runway collections—although those honestly only make up a fraction of the business—but also Calvin Klein jeans, underwear, and furnishings. But, as with most things in fashion, it’s about more than just product. Here is why this latest move is a big deal for Raf Simons, Calvin Klein, and the American fashion industry at large.
There's finally one creative person in charge at Calvin Klein again.
According to rumor, Raf Simons left Dior because he couldn’t exercise the control he wanted over the brand. That will not be the case at Calvin Klein. The company fired its two creative heads to make room for him (one for the men's collection, one for women's), and now all creative teams, including those involved with advertising, will report to the Belgian designer. It’s a hell of a lot of power, but not unwarranted; brands like Burberry (which not only combined their Prorsum, Brit and London labels, but now show men’s and women’s together) and Gucci have similarly streamlined their labels, opting for a singular vision. The power that Simons will wield can only be compared to that of Calvin Klein himself in the brand’s history, meaning the label went the definition of “all-in” on this deal.
Fashion fans worship Raf.
Fans of fashion and industry players alike seem to almost unanimously worship Raf Simons. While the designer’s aesthetic is minimal, it is based on a feeling of youth which has roped in a posse of notable fans like A$AP Rocky, Virgil Abloh, and Travi$ Scott. Those fans will no doubt follow Raf to Klein, along with all of the fashion insiders who pay close attention to his every move. When Simons debuted his couture collection at Dior, Riccardo Tisci, Alber Elbaz, and Azzedine Alaia were all there. And when there is any news (or possible news) about the designer’s movements it circulates at warp speed—typically kicked off with an official report by longtime Simons supporter, fashion critic Cathy “The Don” Horyn. All of that combines for a pretty significant portion of eyes now seriously shifted on Calvin’s collections.
Raf can breathe new life into Calvin's minimalist aesthetic.
Even though Raf Simons said that he wasn’t just a minimalist, most notably in the Dior and I film, the designer has been inextricably linked to the adjective— and with good reason. As evident in his designs at his own label, Jil Sander, and even at Christian Dior, he has a tendency to pare back designs in some ways. Sure, his couture designs were a lot more ornate than his work at Sander, but when compared to John Galliano’s overworked costumes, for example, they were as simple as T-shirts.
Calvin Klein is similarly minimal. From underwear design, all the way up to the highest-end pieces within Calvin Klein Collection, the brand is a fan of monochromatic looks and clean lines. The happenstance seems small, but all signs point to it leading to a harmonious working relationship. Simons stayed at Sander, where there was also a similarity in aesthetic, for seven years and his swan song for that label brought the designer to tears.
Calvin Klein is Simons' biggest platform to date.
Christian Dior is a massive brand. At one point in the late 1940s, the company represented 75% of Paris' fashion exports. It owns a significant portion of LVMH, the luxury conglomerate that owns Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Hennessy, and many other companies. But even with all of that, the control and visibility Raf Simons had at Dior pales in comparison to what he will have at Calvin Klein. Last year, Calvin Klein had revenue topping $8 billion. In fact, the company hopes to hit the $10 billion soon and clearly sees Simons as a big part of that. While his predecessors’ domain only extended to the runway collection— which a former Calvin Klein president called a “marketing expense”—Raf will have a hand with it all, with longtime right-hand man Pieter Mulier serving as his creative director.
Calvin Klein is on a creative upswing.
Raf isn’t coming into some barren wasteland void of creativity, though. Having always been known for its ad campaigns, Calvin Klein has been making waves over the last few years with their projects. The label used sexting to promote their jeans on Tinder, it's been doing a long running #MyCalvins campaign on Instagram featuring everyone from Grace Coddington to Frank Ocean and Young Thugm and have been tapping stars like Justin Bieber and Kendall Jenner for billboards and magazine campaigns. Sure, these don’t look necessarily like Simons’ own moody, Willy Vandperre-lensed campaigns, but it gives him a considerable amount of cultural cache to work with.