Calvin Klein Collection
Calvin Klein Collection is the luxury ready-to-wear line of the American fashion brand Calvin Klein, embodying the house's signature minimalist and sensual aesthetic through high-end womenswear, menswear, and accessories.[1][2] Founded in 1968 by designer Calvin Klein and business partner Barry Schwartz with an initial focus on coats and suits, the brand quickly expanded into sportswear and established the Collection as its pinnacle expression of refined, boundary-pushing design.[3][4] Over its history, Calvin Klein Collection has been shaped by a series of influential creative directors who advanced its reputation for clean lines, innovative tailoring, and cultural impact. Calvin Klein himself directed the line until 2003, when the brand was acquired by PVH Corp.[5], after which Francisco Costa led womenswear and Italo Zucchelli helmed menswear, introducing sophisticated collections that blended sensuality with modernity.[6] In 2016, Raf Simons became chief creative officer, infusing the line with youthful, gender-fluid elements until its discontinuation in 2019 following his departure.[7][8] The line was revived in 2024 under Italian designer Veronica Leoni as creative director, marking the brand's first female-led era for Collection and a return to runway presentations with a focus on monumental minimalism.[4] Her debut Fall 2025 collection, shown in New York, featured sleek tailoring, neutral palettes, and pieces like collarless coats and strapless dresses, evoking the house's foundational ethos while emphasizing contemporary ease and unadorned elegance.[9] This resurgence positions Calvin Klein Collection as a key player in luxury fashion, continuing the brand's legacy of provocative simplicity and global influence.[10]History
Founding and Early Development
Calvin Klein and his childhood friend Barry Schwartz founded Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968 with a $10,000 investment from Schwartz, establishing a small coat shop in the York Hotel in New York City.[6] The duo initially focused on women's coats and suits, securing their first major retail order of $50,000 from Bonwit Teller that same year, which propelled the nascent brand to $1 million in sales by the end of 1968.[11][12] The brand experienced rapid early success with its emphasis on tailored women's coats and suits, leading to expansions into sportswear, blazers, and lingerie by 1971, at which point annual sales reached $5 million.[11][13] In 1978, the company ventured into jeans through a licensing agreement with Puritan Fashions, introducing the Calvin Klein Jeans line that quickly became a cornerstone of its casualwear offerings.[6] These developments marked the brand's shift from niche outerwear to a broader apparel portfolio, with Klein receiving the Coty American Fashion Critics' Award in 1973 for his innovative women's sportswear designs—the youngest recipient at the time—and additional Coty wins in 1974 and 1975.[11][14] In 1994, the Calvin Klein Collection debuted as the brand's black label luxury ready-to-wear line, distinguishing itself through minimalist, high-quality pieces that prioritized clean lines and subtle sensuality, setting it apart from the mass-market segments.[15] Calvin Klein maintained personal oversight of the designs during this period, infusing the Collection with his signature aesthetic of pared-down elegance and understated eroticism until 2002.[11][6]Major Milestones and Ownership Changes
In 1995, Calvin Klein opened its first dedicated boutique for the Collection line at 654 Madison Avenue in New York City, featuring a minimalist interior designed by British architect John Pawson that emphasized clean lines, neutral tones, and expansive glass panels to highlight the brand's understated luxury aesthetic.[6][16][17] The company's trajectory shifted significantly when Calvin Klein Inc. was sold to Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation (now PVH Corp.) in late 2002, with the acquisition completed in early 2003 for $430 million, comprising $400 million in cash and $30 million in stock and warrants, transitioning the brand from independent ownership to integration within a larger apparel conglomerate.[18][19][20] During the 2000s, the Calvin Klein brand experienced revenue peaks, with global sales exceeding $3 billion by 2002 and growing to $5.8 billion annually by 2010, driven in part by the premium positioning of the Collection line amid expanding wholesale and retail channels under PVH's management.[21][22] In 2017, under the creative direction of Raf Simons, the Collection line was renamed Calvin Klein 205W39NYC—referencing the brand's New York headquarters address at 205 West 39th Street—to reinvigorate its luxury positioning with a more contemporary, address-specific identity tied to the city's fashion heritage.[23][24] By 2018, amid ongoing corporate transitions, the line expanded into accessories such as bags, belts, and footwear, while pursuing high-profile collaborations, including a capsule with The Andy Warhol Foundation that incorporated artistic prints into ready-to-wear and diffusion offerings to broaden accessibility during the period. The line's runway presentations were discontinued in 2019 following Raf Simons' departure, entering a hiatus until its revival in 2024.[25][26][27]Creative Direction
Key Designers and Their Tenures
Calvin Klein founded his eponymous company in 1968 and served as its primary designer until 2002, establishing the brand's signature minimalist aesthetic characterized by clean lines, neutral palettes, and understated luxury that defined American sportswear for decades.[6][28] In 2003, following the acquisition of the company by Phillips-Van Heusen (now PVH Corp.), Francisco Costa was appointed creative director for the women's Calvin Klein Collection, a role he held until 2016; a Brazilian designer who previously assisted Tom Ford at Gucci, Costa brought a sense of fluid draping and sensual minimalism to the line, evolving its ready-to-wear offerings while maintaining the founder's core principles.[29][30] Simultaneously, Italo Zucchelli joined as creative director for the men's Collection in 2003, serving until 2016; the Italian designer, formerly at Jil Sander, emphasized architectural tailoring and innovative fabrications that modernized menswear with precise, sculptural forms.[31][6] In August 2016, Belgian designer Raf Simons was named chief creative officer, overseeing both men's and women's Collection lines until his departure in December 2018; known for his work at Dior Homme and his eponymous label, Simons rebranded the Collection as 205W39NYC and infused it with streetwear influences, blending high fashion with casual American elements to broaden its appeal.[7][32] Following Simons' exit, PVH Corp. announced in January 2019 the shuttering of the 205W39NYC line and, by March 2019, the complete discontinuation of the Calvin Klein Collection business, marking a transitional period with no dedicated creative director as the company shifted focus to its core diffusion and licensing operations.[33][34] In May 2024, PVH relaunched the Calvin Klein Collection and appointed Italian designer Veronica Leoni as its creative director—the first woman in that role—effective September 2024; previously design director at The Row and founder of her own label Quira, Leoni is tasked with reviving the line's high-end ready-to-wear for both genders, with her debut Fall 2025 collection shown at New York Fashion Week in February 2025, followed by the Spring 2026 collection in September 2025, emphasizing monumental minimalism and urban sensuality.[4][35][36][37]| Designer | Role | Tenure | Background and High-Level Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calvin Klein | Founder and Primary Designer | 1968–2002 | Established minimalist aesthetic foundational to the brand's identity. |
| Francisco Costa | Women's Creative Director | 2003–2016 | Former Gucci collaborator; introduced fluid, sensual elements to women's collections. |
| Italo Zucchelli | Men's Creative Director | 2003–2016 | Ex-Jil Sander; advanced architectural precision in menswear. |
| Raf Simons | Chief Creative Officer (Men's and Women's) | 2016–2018 | Belgian innovator; rebranded to 205W39NYC, incorporating streetwear for broader relevance. |
| No Dedicated Director | Transitional Wind-Down | 2018–2019 | PVH discontinued Collection line, focusing on diffusion. |
| Veronica Leoni | Creative Director (Men's and Women's) | 2024–present | Italian, ex-The Row; relaunches with modern minimalism for runway return. |