Highsnobiety

Calvin Klein

ESTABLISHED

1968

HQ

Manhattan, New York City, USA

FOUNDERS

Calvin Klein and Barry K Schwartz

CEO

Steve Shiffman

INSTAGRAM

WHAT ARE THE MOST FAMOUS CALVIN KLEIN ADS?

For decades Calvin Klein ads have been following the same formula: saucy, provocative and occasionally controversial. From a saucy Brooke Shields to a topless Kate Moss and a Marky Mark shoot that had Funky Bunch fans screaming, the revolutionary campaigns, originally shot by Richard Avedon, turned jeans into a fashion staple. The revamped #MyCalvins campaign, first launched in 2014, pays homage to Shields’ original 1981 campaign, while tapping into the modern social celebrity.

WHO HAS MODELED FOR CALVIN KLEIN?

CK ads were also known for their celebrity appearances as much as their controversial styles. As well as Shields and Moss, Christy Turlington is one of the best known models for the brand, appearing in ads since the 1990s and fronting the famous Eternity fragrance campaign. Lara Stone famously appeared with Justin Bieber in the 2015 Jeans campaign after appearing in her first campaign in 2008. From 2010 to 2015, Stone fronted advertisements for Calvin Klein Jeans, Underwear and the Calvin Klein Collection lines. Recently, A$AP Rocky, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kendall Jenner have all been part of Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins campaigns.

1969

The designer appears on the cover of the September issue of Vogue.

1970

Calvin Klein holds his first fashion show costing around $10,000.

1971

Klein adds sportswear, classic blazers, and lingerie to his women’s collection.

1973

The designer becomes the youngest recipient of the first Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award for his 74-piece womenswear collection. Winning again in 1974 and 1975 when he was voted into the Coty Hall of Fame.

1977

Brand revenue hits $30million with licenses for scarves, shoes, belts, furs, sunglasses, and bedsheets.

1978

200,000 pairs of the infamous CK jeans are rumored to be sold within the first week of sales thanks to a saucy series of ad campaigns.

1981

15-year-old Brooke Shields fronts a controversial ad campaign.

1982

Klein launches a successful line of women’s boxer shorts and a men’s underwear collection combined with a $500,000 ad campaign. The CK underwear collection would later gross $70 million in a single year

1985

The brand breaks into the world of fragrance for a second time after originally closing the cosmetics branch of ck in 1979. Named Obsession, the fragrance is still produced today.

1987

Financial problems, employee turnover, and licensing disputes led to the attempted sale of the company. A crashing stock market is said to have thwarted plans, but the business survived.

1992

The brand avoids bankruptcy and pioneers the men’s boxer/brief with an infamous and saucy ad campaign fronted by Marky Mark (Mark Wahlberg) and fledgling model Kate Moss.

1993

Calvin Klein is named America’s best designer.

2002

CK is sold to sold to Phillips Van Heusen Corp with a deal estimated at $400 million in cash on top of stock, licensing rights and royalties.

2014

Calvin Klein launches the #MyCalvins campaign, with reference to the now seminal Brooke Shields ad.

2016

Belgian designer Raf Simons joins as Chief Creative Officer with his debut collection debuted for the Fall 2017 season.

2017

The iconic lower-case logo is replaced by Simons for a new all caps version, with the help of art director and graphic designer, Peter Saville.

2019

Amid Simons departure, the fashion house chose to close its Calvin Klein Collection (renamed Calvin Klein 205W39NYC in 2017 by Simons).

The #MyTruth ad campaign puts a new spin on the classic My Calvin line, featuring Shawn Mendes, Billie Eilish, A$AP Rocky and more.

Latest Stories

  • FKA Twigs models in Calvin Klein's Spring 2023 campaign

    The Irony of FKA twigs' Banned Calvin Klein Ad

    • Style
  • Jeremy Allen White Calvin Klein campaign

    Jeremy Allen White Inaugurated As Internet's Reigning Short King

    • Style
  • Spice Girls Paris 90s

    A Love Letter To '90s Fashion

    • Style
  • Calvin Klein Kid Cudi FW23

    Kid Cudi is Dripping (Literally) in his Calvin Klein Underwear Ad

    • Style
  • best american brands Alpha Industries Calvin Klein Converse

    The 30 Brands That Define Americana in 2024

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    Jungkook, Jennie, Kendall Jenner, Kid Cudi: Calvin Klein Fall '23 Brings Out Big Guns

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    Kenza Dali on Her Lifelong Love of Football, Sneakers and Calvin Klein Underwear

    • Style
    • sponsored
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    No Clothing Brand Does K-Pop Better Than Calvin Klein

    • Style
  • AJ Tracey Azealia Banks Calvin Klein

    Yee-Haw Redemption: How Black Cowboy Culture Rode Its Way Back to Relevance

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    Jungkook's Calvin Klein Ad Is CK's Biggest-Ever Campaign

    • Culture
  • winter accessories

    10 Wild Accessories to Make a Statement With This Winter

    • Style
    • sponsored
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    From Gucci to C.P. Company: The Best Palace Collabs of 2022

    • Style

Calvin Klein Highlights

  • calvin klein a to z feature

    An A to Z of Calvin Klein's Wildest, Infamous & Most Legendary Moments

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    Fashion History Lessons: Calvin Klein

    • Style
  • best american brands Alpha Industries Calvin Klein Converse

    The 30 Brands That Define Americana in 2024

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety

    A Definitive Guide to the Best Raf Simons Sneakers Ever Released

  • Image on Highsnobiety

    Heron Preston's New Calvin Klein Drop Is American Minimalism at Its Best

    • Style
  • Image on Highsnobiety
*If you submitted your e-mail address and placed an order, we may use your e-mail address to inform you regularly about similar products without prior explicit consent. You can object to the use of your e-mail address for this purpose at any time without incurring any costs other than the transmission costs according to the basic tariffs. Each newsletter contains an unsubscribe link. Alternatively, you can object to receiving the newsletter at any time by sending an e-mail to info@highsnobiety.com

Web Accessibility Statement

Titel Media GmbH (Highsnobiety), is committed to facilitating and improving the accessibility and usability of its Website, www.highsnobiety.com. Titel Media GmbH strives to ensure that its Website services and content are accessible to persons with disabilities including users of screen reader technology. To accomplish this, Titel Media GmbH tests, remediates and maintains the Website in-line with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which also bring the Website into conformance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Disclaimer

Please be aware that our efforts to maintain accessibility and usability are ongoing. While we strive to make the Website as accessible as possible some issues can be encountered by different assistive technology as the range of assistive technology is wide and varied.

Contact Us

If, at any time, you have specific questions or concerns about the accessibility of any particular webpage on this Website, please contact us at accessibility@highsnobiety.com, +49 (0)30 235 908 500. If you do encounter an accessibility issue, please be sure to specify the web page and nature of the issue in your email and/or phone call, and we will make all reasonable efforts to make that page or the information contained therein accessible for you.