It’s been one of the major talking points of the fashion industry for several months now, but Calvin Klein has added more fuel to the fire regarding rumours that Raf Simons could become the next creative director of the Calvin Klein brand.
After Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli exited their roles as creative director’s of the brand’s men and women’s line in April, speculation began, regarding who would serve as their replacement, with Simons being considered the frontrunner having left fellow luxury brand Dior in October.
Due to his non-compete agreement with Dior, Simons appointment as the new creative head of Calvin Klein has remained a mere rumour for months, but with the contract coming to an end in July, his involvement in the brand is becoming a much stronger possibility.
Therefore, it shouldn’t be considered a mere coincidence that Calvin Klein himself has commented on the rumours regarding a new director just weeks before Simons is officially a ‘free agent’ once again. According to him, while it isn’t official yet, it’s no secret who will be taking control of the brand.
“They just finally made changes in the design staff. They won’t announce [who it is] publicly because it’s under contract. But the whole industry knows.”
When Costa and Zucchelli exited the company, a statement was made regarding the new direction the brand would be taken in, creating high hopes for the future of Calvin Klein. Seemingly confirming months of speculation, the idea that Simons will be the new creative head of one of the most popular fashion brands in the world paints an exciting picture for the future of fashion.
With all Calvin Klein lines being brought back under one banner, including jeans and underwear, as part of a master plan to turn the company into a $10 billion global business, Simons would take on the role of a lifetime at the helm of the company. He could very well be the perfect fit for the role, being no stranger to high-pressure environments, he managed to oversee six collections as the creative head of Dior, while still creating his own collection.
However, while there’s little doubt Simons could take on the new role and catapult the brand into the new direction it’s hoping for, there is the question of how long he will want to remain in the position. While he did maintain control of several of Dior’s women’s collections as well as his own, he made no secret of the difficulties which arose from it, stating it takes its toll on a designer’s creative process.
“But you have no incubation time for ideas, and incubation time is very important. When you try an idea, you look at it and think, Hmm, let’s put it away for a week and think about it later.
But that’s never possible when you have only one team working on all the collections.”
This statement creates a sense of doubt regarding just how well Simons will do in the role, if he has indeed acquired it. Because, while he has the talent to be the brand’s leader, he may not have the mental stamina or even the creative drive to manage a company looking to expand its horizons which could mean serious long-term consequences for the company.
Ultimately, only time will tell whether or not Simons is indeed the next designer to take on the creative helm at Calvin Klein, but if the numerous reports and speculations are anything to go by, we’ll be seeing him with the label quite soon.
