Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli Exiting Calvin Klein

[george5]

NEW YORK, United States — After months of speculation, Calvin Klein creative directors Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli are leaving the company, as part of a new global creative strategy, unifying all Calvin Klein brands under one creative vision.

“This creative strategy marks the beginning of another significant chapter in Calvin Klein’s brand legacy since Mr. Klein’s retirement,” chief executive Steve Shiffman said in a statement. “I would like to thank Francisco and Italo for their unwavering commitment to the Calvin Klein brand and their accomplishments over the past decade. They have both contributed immensely to making Calvin Klein a global leader in the fashion industry, and they have done so with dedication, focus and creativity.”

According to a statement released by the company, “A new brand direction will ultimately follow one creative vision across all categories of the business. An announcement will be made in due course.”

businessoffashion.com

 

[Pricciao]

Calvin really meant something did he not

Hello Raf for making such a big scene.

 

[haydn]

I actually liked the collections both of these men produced, even though they are so far removed from the influence the brand had on culture in the 80's and 90's. Apparently creating beautiful clothes isn't enough anymore - you have to change the world in order to be relevant.

"One creative vision" at Calvin Klein is a MASSIVE undertaking. Best of luck for whoever takes this on. I would assume the new creative director would take on "Calvin Klein Collection" and then that vision would trickle down into the hundreds of thousands of licensed items. Calvin Klein is a juggernaut of a brand.

In terms of design aesthetic though, this is a much better fit for Raf than Dior ever was.

 

[george5]

So sad for Francisco, his latest collections weren't the best but I loved his vision for Calvin Klein a lot. If Raf is indeed the new Creative Director, will He be able to keep up with everything ? Or maybe this is the place Pierre was talking about regarding Hedi's future LOL

 

[StoneSkipper]

It's all moving so fast... I just can't keep up. Anyway, I liked Francisco's work, for the most part, and I wonder where he'll go next. Same goes for Italo. I've said in the Calvin Klein thread, and I'll say it again - Dion Lee is the man for the job - though he doesn't do menswear, which seems to be important, and there's a "global vision" at play here - but then again, did Raf ever succeed at his? Hedi makes more sense, based on the statement.

 

[perhydrol]

It's time to get rid of all those Kendulls and Justins, too.
This situation has one advantage- they won't produce another Céline-wannabe collection. On the other hand I would be happier if Italo had been appointed as a creative director for both menswear and womenswear, that would be really interesting.

 

[Marc10]

Yeah it's obviously Raf coming, especially since they want to "unify" the Womens and Mens under one creative vision. This is such a great house for him to work on.

I am a bit sad to see Francisco go though. He's a fantastic designer and did such a great job there. I hope he ends up somewhere fast (Hermés?)

 

[Fashionstuff]

Raf Simons goes to Calvin Klein. Hope he will stay longer as 4 years and make good collections, Calvin Klein instead Dior.

 

[Miss Dalloway]

Damn, i did NOT expect this!!!Costa always held such consistency of quality with his collections, i enjoyed his clothes. It just feels so ungrateful, i really hope it just reads like that, and that he wasn't fired to make way for Raf!!!

But i do have to say Raf could bring a lot to Calvin Klein, as well.

 

[Aizanara]

And the musical chairs start again

rs-ac.com

 

[VogueDisciple93]

I don't think the new creative director would take over all facets of the Calvin Klein, it is too big of an umbrella. I have not seen any news of Kevin Carrigan - creative director for Ck Jeans and Calvin Klein White label - leaving so I think the denim and defusion lines will remain separately led but will take cues from the main collection. Raf is the man for the Job.

 

[Wolkfolk]

When Raf left Dior, CK is the first thing I thought for him to do next.I don't see anybody else but him to take over.

This game of musical chairs is seriously annoying me but I really think it was about time for a new creative force at CK. Costa has completely lost his sparkle for a long time, his collections were more and more confusing. As for Zucchelli , never been a fan of his aesthetic.

 

[Marc10]

It's time to get rid of all those Kendulls and Justins, too.

Naaah, no way they're touching on their money maker. And since they didn't say that Kevin Carrigan is leaving too, that means the whole Jeans, Underwear, White-Platinum label umbrella will carry on the way it is.

 

[TheoG]

This comes as rather disappointing news, although I haven't been all that in love with his creative direction as of late, he seemed comfortable there. But maybe that was part of problem. I still hope to see Costa in fashion as creative director, designer or even an artistic director. Hell, it would be interesting to see him at Vogue Brasil as creative director of some sort.

 

[tatouejeremie]

wasn't raf complaining about the workload at dior because of having to do 6 collections a year and balancing his life between paris and antwerp?

now he'll have to balance his life between new york and antwerp and since calvin klein also has a mens pre collection this means he'll have to do 8 collections for them each year

 

[SpeakThatJDunn]

Naaah, no way they're touching on their money maker. And since they didn't say that Kevin Carrigan is leaving too, that means the whole Jeans, Underwear, White-Platinum label umbrella will carry on the way it is.

Do we know if they're actually increasing sales?

All these changes though, it's exciting.

 

[Edie123]

I really can't keep up anymore . Is anybody safe?!

 

[george5]

Full article from BoF:

NEW YORK, United States — After months of speculation, Calvin Klein Collection creative directors Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli are leaving the company as part of a new global creative strategy unifying all Calvin Klein brands under one creative vision.

“This creative strategy marks the beginning of another significant chapter in Calvin Klein’s brand legacy since Mr. Klein’s retirement,” chief executive Steve Shiffman said in a statement. “I would like to thank Francisco and Italo for their unwavering commitment to the Calvin Klein brand and their accomplishments over the past decade. They have both contributed immensely to making Calvin Klein a global leader in the fashion industry, and they have done so with dedication, focus and creativity.”

According to a statement released by the company, “A new brand direction will ultimately follow one creative vision across all categories of the business. An announcement will be made in due course.” Until then, the company’s in-house design teams will conceptualise, produce and present each line. There will be no runway show for Calvin Klein Collection in June (for men’s) or September (for women’s), although presentations will be held for press and sales. Until a new creative director is announced, the men's and women's design teams will will report to Michelle Kessler-Sanders, president of Calvin Klein Collection.

The move paves the way for Raf Simons — who left his role as creative director of Christian Dior women’s in October 2015 — to take the creative reins at Calvin Klein, an appointment that has been widely rumoured for several months.

Costa, a former design assistant to Tom Ford at Gucci, joined Calvin Klein in 2001. He was appointed creative director of the women’s collection in 2003 after Mr Calvin Klein, the company's founder and former designer, retired. Zucchelli, who worked in menswear at Jil Sander before joining Calvin Klein, was appointed creative director of menswear in 2004.

While both designers received a fair share of both positive and negative reviews from the fashion press during their decade-plus tenures, it’s unclear whether the company’s ready-to-wear collections — particular the women’s line — were successful financially. "It’s not a business that contributes to the bottom line and it probably never will be,” Tom Murry, former president and chief executive of Calvin Klein, told BoF in 2011. “For us, it’s a marketing expense and we generate an incredible amount of editorial that is based on being in that business. The PR department creates over $400 million a year in equivalent editorial, which is massive and which we believe has a very significant impact on our brand image globally,” Murry continued. “It’s a very small business, but a very important business. It’s the only business we are in that doesn’t lend itself to the licensing model. The reason for that primarily is that it requires a lot of investment to do it right and it’s usually not a money maker, and if it is a money maker it’s fairly minimal in terms of the return."

Murry retired in 2014 and was replaced by PVH veteran Shiffman, who subsequently hired in Kessler-Sanders in 2015 to run Calvin Klein's Collection business.

Calvin Klein was acquired in 2003 by PVH, then known as Phillips-Van Heusen, for $400 million in cash, as well as $30 million in stock and up to $300 million in royalties, according to a 2002 report by The New York Times. At the time, PVH was best known as the biggest shirtmaker in the United States. In 2015, Calvin Klein generated $8.2 billion in global retail sales (before discounts and buy backs) up 228 percent from $2.5 billion in 2003. North America currently accounts for 60 percent of the company’s sales, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) makes up 19 percent. Latin America — including South America, the Caribbean and Central America — accounts for just 2 percent of sales. The company’s reported revenue in 2015 — which reflects markdowns, returns and other discounts on goods — was $2.9 billion, with a 14.9 percent operating margin on a non-GAAP basis.

Today, the conglomerate owns Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and a number of “heritage” brands including Izod and Van Heusen. In 2012, the company bought rival Warnaco Group, Inc., in a $2.8 billion deal in order to bring Calvin Klein jeans and underwear — which were then produced through a licensing deal with Warnaco — under one roof.

Those businesses — ck Calvin Klein, Calvin Klein Jeans and Calvin Klein — are currently under the purview of global director Kevin Carrigan, whose name was not mentioned in the statement about Costa and Zucchelli’s departure. However, the company has stated that the new brand direction will touch every category of the business, which indicates that Raf Simons, if he is indeed appointed, will have complete creative control, something he is said to have coveted at Christian Dior, where men’s fashion, store concepts and beauty were overseen by other designers. Beauty products manufacturer Coty owns the license for Calvin Klein fragrances.

At the same time, Simons has been a vocal critic of the current fashion system and the pressure it puts on designers throughout the creative process. “Everyone is paying attention to the wrong thing in my opinion. There’s this huge debate about ‘Oh my God, should we sell the garments the day after the show or three days after the show or should we tweet it in this way or Instagram it in that way?’… You know, all that kind of bullsh*t,” he recently told London's Telegraph newspaper. “Will all that stuff still be relevant 30 years from now? I don’t think so. What we should ask is will we have enough creative people who are strong enough and willing to do what is necessary right now to follow that madhouse. Lots of people are starting to question it."

It remains to be seen how Simons may approach a new creative directorship at another major conglomerate. From an aesthetic standpoint, the designer’s energetic take on minimalism might well be a better fit at Calvin Klein than it was at Dior. Simons, who continues to operate his namesake menswear line, will present his Spring/Summer 2017 menswear collection at Pitti Uomo in June. BoF will continue to update this story as it develops.

businessoffashion.com

 

[reese06]

I'm quite disappointed. Calvin Klein was quite an underrated brand IMO. Especially in terms of menswear. As someone who actually purchases Calvin Klein, Raf Simons doesn't excite me and I would be disappointed if it's Hedi Slimane and the price point sky rockets. Oh well...

 

[Steddycam91]

The more I think about it the more I really, really, really don't think Raf is going to take this on, with his recents frustrations about the fashion industry cycle. He seems content to focus on his own brand and other, smaller creative ventures. Would he be willing to put his hat back in the fashion ring?

If we're going by the signs of the times, all this talk of "unifying the brand" points to them just pushing the whole #mycalvins thing and forgetting about the rigor of the high-fashion "Calvin Klein Collection" component, which means more Kendall and Justin and Insta-celebs in overpriced CK sweatshirts and slightly elevated streetwear garb.

When it comes to having total creative control, Hedi does seem like a strong candidate. But would he want to be in charge of things like underwear? And to take him on, they would likely have to clean house and change things up -- no doubt there would be major price increases and a funneling out of all that super-derivative wholesale merchandise that makes up a good deal of their profits.

Agh, I'm so torn. We'll have to see what happens. This'll be interesting.