NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CALVIN KLEIN today announced that the brand’s Chief Creative Officer, Raf Simons, presented his Fall 2018 CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC runway show at the American Stock Exchange in New York City last evening.
“This collection is an evolution of my idea of CALVIN KLEIN - of a view onto American society - but now wider, universal. It’s an allegory for a meeting of old worlds and new worlds, relating to the discovery of America, the 1960s Space Race, and the twenty-first century information age. Reflecting the notion of democracy, there is no cultural hierarchy: the mixes emancipate clothing and references from their meanings, from their own narratives, and collage them to discover something different - a different dream. More than anything else, this collection is about freedom. A word that defines America, and CALVIN KLEIN.” - Raf Simons, February 13, 2018
Titled LANDSCAPES, the Fall 2018 CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC show was staged in an epic and unreal terrain simultaneously recalling a cinematic soundstage. The backdrop draws on CALVIN KLEIN’S recent history, but reconfigured: fragments of Sterling Ruby’s installations for the brand appeared against parts of the nineteenth century prairie barn featured in the CALVIN KLEIN 205W39NYC Spring 2018 campaign; the barn walls are papered with billboard-scale images of the artworks by Andy Warhol used in the same collection; beside them, air-duct tubing emerges, an alien touch of the scientific or laboratorial. The floor is carpeted with deep drifts of popcorn: from a distance, it resembles snow.
The collection and venue showcased the ongoing and multi-level collaboration between CALVIN KLEIN and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes characters Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner, originally shown as shorts in cinemas from 1949, are also featured on select garments. The latter recall childhood innocence, the all-important idea of American Youth, and they can also be seen as a parable of the pursuit of the American Dream.
Mr. Simons presented his Fall 2018 collection to an audience that included notable guests Nicole Kidman, Lupita Nyong’o, Isabelle Huppert, Margot Robbie, Millie Bobby Brown, A$AP Rocky, Laura Dern, Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Letitia Wright, Sebastian Stan, Bill Skarsgård, Lucas Hedges, Judith Light, Kyle MacLachlan, James Murphy, Sandy Brant, Cindy Sherman, Kelela, Dev Hynes, Christina Ricci, Harris Dickinson, Ashton Sanders, Alex Hibbert, Rowan Blanchard, Amandla Stenberg, Anya Taylor Joy, Rachel Brosnahan, Alfie Allen, Bernard Sumner, Dane DeHaan, Paris Jackson, Maya Hawke, Jack Kilmer, Julia Garner, Sergei Polunin, Annabelle Sciorra, Valeria Bilello, Natasha Dupeyrón, Cindy Crawford, Rande Gerber, Karlie Kloss, Carolyn Murphy, Helena Christensen, Winnie Harlow, Jelly Lin, Jessica Jung, Camila Coelho, Helena Bordon, Brian Anderson, Helena Hauff, Richie Hawtin, and Clara3000, among others.
CALVIN KLEIN is a global lifestyle brand that exemplifies bold, progressive ideals and a seductive aesthetic. We seek to thrill and inspire our audience while using provocative imagery and striking designs to ignite the senses.
Founded in 1968 by Calvin Klein and his business partner Barry Schwartz, we have built our reputation as a leader in American fashion through our clean aesthetic and innovative designs. Global retail sales of CALVIN KLEIN brand products exceeded $8 billion in 2016 and were distributed in over 110 countries. CALVIN KLEIN employs over 10,000 associates globally. We were acquired by PVH Corp. in 2003.
About PVH Corp.
With a history going back over 135 years, PVH has excelled at growing brands and businesses with rich American heritages, becoming one of the largest apparel companies in the world. We have over 35,000 associates operating in over 40 countries and over $8 billion in annual revenues. We own the iconic CALVIN KLEIN, TOMMY HILFIGER, Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW, Speedo*, Warner’s and Olga brands, as well as the digital-centric True & Co. intimates brand, and market a variety of goods under these and other nationally and internationally known owned and licensed brands.
*The Speedo brand is licensed for North America and the Caribbean in perpetuity from Speedo International Limited.
ART CREDITS:
Artwork by Andy Warhol featured on garments
©/®/™ The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.;
Looney Tunes and all related characters and elements © & ™ Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
IMAGE CREDIT – RUNWAY LOOKS: © 2018 Giovanni Giannoni
IMAGE CREDIT – CELEB PORTRAITS + FRONT ROW: © 2018 BFA.com
ADDITIONAL IMAGES AVAILABLE AT www.BFA.com
B-ROLL AVAILABLE FOR BROADCAST UPON REQUEST