In 2016, Calvin Klein attempted a grand experiment. The label appointed beloved Belgian designer Raf Simons as its chief creative officer, giving him "unprecedented" control and pushing toward a new high-end, fashion-focused vision. The experiment didn't go quite as planned, with Simons and Calvin Klein "amicably" parting ways after just two years, to the tune of a reported $21 million loss in year-over-year sales. After the dust had settled, the general consensus was that the general public had little interest in seeing Calvin Klein rebranded as capital-F fashion. The people wanted boxers, and maybe some T-shirts and jeans.
The brand seemingly learned its lesson, doubling down on its offering of underwear and essentials. This year, though, Calvin Klein slowly started slouching back into the realm of designer-cosigned wares—and that much is especially evident in the latest Heron Preston–designed collection, which just dropped this month.
Nas in a shot from the campaign.
Ricky Saiz / Courtesy of Calvin KleinPreston came to fame as part of Been Trill (excuse me, #BEEN #TRILL), the streetwear brand-slash–creative collective run by Virgil Abloh and Matthew Williams. It's no accident that all three are now heavy-hitters in the fashion world at large. For Preston's part, his eponymous label stormed the scene by producing uniforms for the Department of Sanitation New York. His workwear-inflected fashion has only grown sharper and more sought-after by the season, and he brings that same detail-oriented eye and clever hand to Calvin Klein in this second capsule collection.
It wouldn't be Calvin without some undies.
Ricky Saiz / Courtesy of Calvin KleinThe classic hoodie is upgraded with plush cotton french terry and given a boxy oversized fit. Boxers are given a sleek tonal logo treatment with a recycled logo waistband. (Sustainable fashion is as much a touchstone of Preston's work as his use of high-visibility orange.) Many of the pieces are marketed and styled as genderless. There are thermals, joggers, crewnecks, and utility pants, too—and no shortage of athletic-minimalist bras and underwear.
Even to the un-fashion-obsessed eye, this stuff looks a cut above the standard CK essentials you'd spy on shelves. The silhouettes feel tailored for the fashion-forward, and Preston's use of texture and color elevates these basics to new heights. It echoes what Kanye West is doing at Gap, but also Kim Kardashian with Skims, or Jerry Lorenzo with Fear of God. (Fashion-tinted essentials for the Instagram generation, essentially.) Preston, alongside Abloh and Williams, has a heat-seeking eye for youth culture that is unmatched, and that is undoubtedly what Calvin Klein is tapping into here.
The fuzzier, the better.
Ricky Saiz / Courtesy of Calvin KleinThis isn't a total swan dive back into full-fledged fashion, but proof that Calvin Klein knows we're headed towards a future where apparel essentials will still require a jolt of high-grade style. (The brand also announced the hire of designer Willy Chavarria earlier this year, hinting at more sharp yet matter-of-fact American fashion.) The future of Calvin Klein may not have been Raf Simons-designed $2,000 overcoats. But it just it might be $178 hoodies, $36 thongs, and other high-quality streetwise essentials.
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October 26, 2021 at 01:21AM
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Heron Preston Is Helping Design the Future of Calvin Klein - GQ
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