Like many other designers before him, looking in from the outside has allowed Raf Simons to interpret the American dream with a fresh point of view. The difference in perspectives has informed his designs at Calvin Klein where he is currently Chief Creative Director (think super modern riffs on work and Western wear, Wall Street-worthy tailoring and marching band uniforms), and his newest campaign for the American fashion juggernaut continues in the same vein of reworking Americana themes.
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The shots are everything we’ve come to expect from one of fashion’s most influential designers: Youthful, raw and eschewing all forms of glamour for a more sublime take on sexuality. Simons worked with photographer and frequent collaborator Willy Vanderperre for the visuals, which feature a diverse assembly of 22 models shot together with the billboards that have appeared in the previous Calvin Klein: American Classics campaign.
Calvin Klein under Simons’ charge has undergone a radical change. Besides notably changing the logo and setting up a special made-to-measure service called Calvin Klein by Appointment, another of Simons’ strategy to endear the brand to a new and younger generation of customers involves changing the name of the runway line to Calvin Klein 205W39NYC. It sounds like a mouthful, but there’s always meaning in what Simons does: The numbers and alphabets in the new moniker is an homage to the brand’s headquarters in New York.
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See all the images from the new campaign in the gallery above.
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