Raf Simons and Calvin Klein Have Parted Ways
Well, that was fast. Less than two years after he debuted as Calvin Klein's first-ever chief creative officer, Raf Simons is out. The Belgian designer still had eight months on his contract, but "both parties have amicably decided to part ways after Calvin Klein Inc. decided on a new brand direction which differs from Simons' creative vision," according to a statement from the company.
This follows news from November that the brand's quarterly earnings were down $21 million year over year, which was revealed by Emmanuel Chirico, chairman of Calvin Klein's parent company PVH. Chirico said he was "disappointed," and called out CK Jeans' recent collection as a "fashion miss." Safe to say that the writing was on the wall.
And honestly, this seems to be the best way forward for all parties involved. While fashion fans lauded Raf's run at CK-particularly the renamed, high-end 205W39NYC line-his artsy bent didn't connect with mass-market customers. As we've seen from Simons' own label and his stints at Dior and Jil Sander, he's best when he's able to focus on concepts instead of commercialism. That doesn't square with Calvin Klein's vision for its future.
So where does this leave us? Possibly with another game of fashion musical chairs on our hands. Simons fans are already wondering where he'll go next, though one common refrain-maybe Celine?-seems highly unlikely considering Hedi Slimane just made his big (if controversial) debut for the French fashion house.
One thing's for sure: Wherever Simons lands, whether at a new brand or working on his own stuff, he's sure to keep generating industry buzz. And while those same industry insiders will likely feel the lack of Simons' presence at New York Fashion Week come February (CK has canceled its runway show), they can take some solace in the fact that all those Raf CK pieces in their closets just became collector's items.
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