1968
Calvin Klein
New York, USA
PVH Corp.
Jessica Lomax
Calvin Klein is an American fashion brand founded in 1968 by designer Calvin Klein. The company offers a complete range of fashion products including high-end ready-to-wear, custom clothing, underwear, sportswear, and denim collections for both men and women, along with accessories, handbags, eyewear and fragrances.
Brand History
American fashion designer Calvin Klein graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York. At age 20, he became an apprentice designer at New York garment manufacturer Dan Millstein before founding his namesake brand in 1968 with childhood friend Barry Schwartz.
Calvin Klein and Barry Schwartz
From 1973 to 1975, Calvin Klein won the Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award three years consecutively – the only designer to achieve this honor. He remains the youngest designer ever inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame.
Calvin Klein in his studio, 1980
The brand initially focused on coats before expanding into complete women’s casual wear and accessories. By 1978, the Calvin Klein Collection (high-end ready-to-wear) and Calvin Klein Jeans lines were established.
The iconic 1980 jeans campaign featuring Brooke Shields, photographed by Richard Avedon, redefined denim as a symbol of sexuality. The provocative ads caused controversy while dramatically increasing sales and brand recognition.
Brooke Shields’ Calvin Klein Jeans ad by Richard Avedon, 1980
Andy Warhol, Calvin Klein, Brooke Shileds and Steve Rubell at Studio 54, 1981
The success of the jeans line led to the launch of Calvin Klein Underwear in 1982, continuing the sensual advertising approach. In 1993, Klein became the first designer to win both the men’s and women’s CFDA Designer of the Year awards simultaneously. The brand opened its first flagship store on New York’s Madison Avenue in 1995.
In 2003, PVH Corp. acquired Calvin Klein Inc., appointing Francisco Costa as women’s creative director and Italo Zucchelli as men’s creative director. The Calvin Klein Performance activewear line launched in 2008.
After regaining control of various licensed product categories between 2008-2013, Calvin Klein consolidated all creative direction under Raf Simons in 2016 as Chief Creative Officer, overseeing all collections from apparel to accessories and marketing.
Simons immediately began revitalizing the brand. In February 2017, Calvin Klein introduced a new all-caps logo “CALVIN KLEIN” designed by Peter Saville, emphasizing the brand’s minimalist aesthetic.
That April saw the launch of Calvin Klein By Appointment, making custom clothing available beyond celebrity clients. The Madison Avenue flagship was redesigned by artist Sterling Ruby with industrial scaffolding displays and bold yellow interiors.
Calvin Klein By Appointment collection
In July 2017, the high-end collection was renamed “Calvin Klein 205W39NYC” after the brand’s NYC headquarters address, while the contemporary line became CK Calvin Klein.
Calvin Klein Madison Avenue flagship store
November 2017 brought a four-year partnership with the Andy Warhol Visual Arts Foundation, granting unlimited use of Warhol’s artwork – including unpublished pieces – through 2020. The 2018 Calvin Klein 205W39NYC spring/summer collection featured several Warhol prints.
2018 Calvin Klein 205W39NYC spring/summer collection
Raf Simons won both men’s and women’s CFDA Designer of the Year awards in 2017, becoming only the second designer after Calvin Klein himself to achieve this dual honor.
For Calvin Klein Jeans’ 40th anniversary in 2018, Simons created the Est. 1978 collection blending archival designs with Americana motifs like eagles, flags and barns for a contemporary streetwear aesthetic.
Calvin Klein Jeans Est. 1978 backpack
Today, Calvin Klein’s main collections include:
- CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC (high-end ready-to-wear)
- CK Calvin Klein (contemporary)
- Calvin Klein Underwear
- Calvin Klein Performance (activewear)
- Calvin Klein Jeans
2018 Calvin Klein 205W39NYC spring/summer collection
2018 Calvin Klein 205W39NYC fall collection
Timeline
- 1968 – Calvin Klein and Barry K. Schwartz found Calvin Klein Inc.
- 1973 – First Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award
- 1974 – Accessories collection launches
- 1975 – Inducted into Coty Hall of Fame
- 1978 – Calvin Klein Collection and Calvin Klein Jeans debut
- 1979 – First fragrance; Brooke Shields jeans campaign
- 1982 – Men’s underwear line introduced
- 1983 – Women’s underwear line introduced
- 1995 – Madison Avenue flagship opens
- 1997 – Warnaco Group licenses underwear and jeans
- 2003 – PVH acquires Calvin Klein Inc.; Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli appointed
- 2005 – Women’s handbags launch
- 2006 – Francisco Costa wins CFDA Women’s Designer of the Year
- 2008 – PVH licenses high-end collections; Performance line debuts
- 2009 – Italo Zucchelli wins CFDA Men’s Designer of the Year
- 2013 – PVH acquires Warnaco; contemporary line renamed Calvin Klein platinum
- 2014 – PVH regains Performance Asian retail operations
- 2016 – Raf Simons becomes Chief Creative Officer
- 2017 – By Appointment custom service launches; Andy Warhol partnership begins
- 2018 – Men’s Performance collection introduced
Signature Collections
Saddle bag collection
Backpack collection
Cross body bag collection
Satchel collection
Hobo collection
Tote bag collection
Duffle bag collection
