Fashion

All You Need to Know About Raf Simons' Exit from Calvin Klein

Just eight months short from the end of his first contract, Raf Simons is exiting Calvin Klein, effective immediately.
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Barely two years in the role, Raf Simons is exiting Calvin Klein and will not be showing at the coming New York Fashion Week in February, as originally reported by BoF.

A premonition coming through, the exit of Raf Simons from the New York label comes with little surprise as Calvin Klein's parent PVH Corp. chief executive Emanuel Chirico has just recently criticized the direction of the brand since the appointment of Raf Simons and its poor financial performance in the market.

In a statement, Calvin Klein says, "Both parties have amicably decided to part ways after Calvin Klein Inc. decided on a new brand direction which differs from Simons’ creative vision".

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Although his vision was a success on the runway that was applauded by many and even winning multiple fashion awards, it seems that Raf Simons's vision for Calvin Klein failed to translate to sales for the mass market, a core for the house of Calvin Klein.

Even with the brand's massive push to translate Raf's high-end Calvin Klein 205W39NYC into its subsidiary line Calvin Klein Jeans and the appointment of pop-culture stars like the Kardashians as ambassadors, the deal fell short.

So with just eight months left in his initial contract with the company, Raf Simons and Calvin Klein decided to break things off.

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According to BoF, PVH Corp. chief executive Emanuel Chirico had even mentioned that Raf's vision and his Calvin Klein denim collection was a "fashion miss".

He says, "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."

That said, many still applaud Raf's constant push for American arts and culture throughout his tenure including the collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation.

CFDA Chief Executive Steven Kolb says, "Raf brought a unique point of view to American fashion and the CFDA wishes him future success. Calvin Klein is an iconic American brand that will continue to flourish under new creative direction.”

As of now, Calvin Klein has officially announced that they will not be showing at the New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2019 shows in the coming February.

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