The Calvin Klein x Andy Warhol Capsule Collection
Calvin Klein and Andy Warhol—two names synonymous with great American fashion and art—find a union under Raf Simons.
Andy Warhol’s fashion was inseparable from his art. From his platinum blond mop top to his signature round specs and his dapper suits, Warhol was the belle of the punk ball at Max’s Kansas City, the infamous nightclub and fashion epicenter of 1970s NYC (and much of the inspo for the Met’s 2013 punk gala). His videos involved models, his paintings and sculptures were dazzling and colorfully crispy Pop Art that transcended the stodgy gallery space—his art was chic.
Now, 31 years after Warhol’s passing, American fashion label Calvin Klein is trying to capture some of the artist’s swish flair. The label has inked a four-year contract with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to have nearly carte blanche with Warhol’s creations through 2020, providing Calvin Klein’s new creative director the capability to create garments with the late artist’s work, including many little-seen artworks.
The partnership pairs Calvin, a legendary company now helmed by Raf Simons—a Belgian designer whose artist collaborations have included the likes of Sterling Ruby and the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation—with Warhol, who steered art into the contemporary era and whose shadow still loom over artists from nearly every milieu.
“Warhol’s timeless works continue to provoke and influence popular culture,” said Michael Dayton Hermann, the irector of icensing at he Andy Warhol Foundation, in an email. “His legacy ushered in a new era of hyper-individualism, unbounded creativity and a defiance of traditional conventions.”
Indeed, Simons’ Spring 2018 collection for Calvin Klein defied conventions by featuring Warhol’s 1971 portrait of Dennis Hopper wearing a cowboy hat, pieces from the “Death and Disaster” series—Warhol’s prints of electric chairs and car crashes—and Tunafish Disaster, a less well-known 1963 work about cans of tainted tuna. Morbid stuff, but then the collection ha a bit of dystopian vibe to it anyway.
“I’ve come to realize that Warhol’s genius goes much deeper than cheerful Campbell’s Soup paintings,” says Simons, who previously worked with Warhol drawings as the creative director of Dior womenswear in 2013. “He captured all sides of the American experience, including sometimes its darker sides. Warhol’s art tells more truths about this country than you can find almost anywhere else.”
That’s what makes the team-up a perfect fit: Both Calvin Klein and Andy Warhol have their roots in American-ness. Separately, both were able to impact the visual and social culture of America. We can’t wait to see what waves they make together.
See more online-exclusive photos below:
Photography Connor Franta
Styling Julian Antetomaso
Makeup Tiffany Leigh Patton (Bernstein & Andriulli)
Hair Tim Aylward (Atelier Management) using Oribe haircare
Models Jabali Sandford (New York Models) and Julia Covert (Ford)
Digital technician Sebastiano Foresi
Photo assistant Donielle Gitlin
Casting HARBINGER
Location GO Studios
Catering Better Being
