Amidst a momentous weekend, Calvin Klein has quietly unveiled its first collection since Raf Simons became chief creative officer. Calvin Klein by Appointment, a bespoke line of 14 styles, was announced online this morning — the same stealth approach that the sportswear company used last August when it confirmed rumors that Simons had been hired. No interviews, no big media drop: just some minimal text on the website, along with four images, saying that the new made-to-measure collection will “celebrate American women and American fashion,” and will be available to anyone. There are brief quotes from Simons and Pieter Mulier, the brand’s creative director, who also worked with Simons at Dior and at his menswear label. The photographer Willy Vanderperre and the stylist Olivier Rizzo — longtime collaborators of Simons’s — created the images for the site, as well as the ad campaign. Among the models are Millie Bobby Brown, Abbey Lee, Julia Nobis, and Samantha Eldridge.
Today happens to be the start of the spring haute-couture shows in Paris. In a way, the 14 bespoke looks are a challenge to both that system and type of dressing. And you can see from the first looks, like an extremely pretty white-tulle dress, where Mulier and Simons are going with their references to American debs and cheerleaders: They want to rethink not only an iconic American brand — one that stands for minimalism — but also also what freedom in fashion means in 2017.
Simons presents the brand’s fall 2017 ready-to-wear collection on February 10.