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Just days before Christmas and major news is breaking. Announced via the Business of Fashion, Raf Simons will step down as Calvin Klein’s first chief creative officer – effective immediately, more than eight months before the end of his contract. It has been less than two years since his appointment and debut collection for the all-American brand.
“Both parties have amicably decided to part ways after Calvin Klein Inc. decided on a new brand direction which differs from Simons’s creative vision,” the company said in a statement.
What had ultimately elevated the brand from just an icon of men’s and women’s underwear, the contemporary looks seen in past seasons appear to be in peril, as the brand will not present a runway show in February. Simons has garnered wide attention for his creative outlook, earning multiple awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America during his appointment to Calvin Klein, with his Fashion Week runway deemed a must see.
According to BoF, PVH missed sales targets in its most recent quarter, with the company calling out Calvin Klein’s denim and luxury 205W39NYC labels missing the mark.
“We will cut back on a number of these planned investments in the 205 collection business, and as we move forward, we will [be taking] a more … commercial approach to this important business,” said PVH chairman and chief executive Manny Chirico.
The designers was hired in 2016, which made headlines across the globe as he was handed a multi-million dollar annual salary and the title of chief creative officer to turn around the name of Calvin Klein.
More to come.
