In six short months as chief creative officer of Calvin Klein, Belgian designer Raf Simons has already made quite an imprint on the brand. Instead of hot people in CK underwear, the label’s latest ads feature inspirational women in fancy evening looks. Raf has revolutionized — and democratized — the brand’s made-to-measure service. He’s introduced a new runway concept. (On February 10, Raf’s debut Calvin Klein show will combine men’s and women’s ready-to-wear and accessories.) Oh, and he’s updated the brand’s logo.
This morning, Calvin Klein unveiled its new, improved, all-caps emblem via Instagram. The post’s caption reads as follows: “INTRODUCING THE NEW CALVIN KLEIN LOGO. A return to the spirit of the original. An acknowledgment of the founder and foundations of the fashion house. In collaboration with the art director and graphic designer Peter Saville.”
It’s fitting that Simons, who has been — as Business of Fashion’s Lauren Sherman put it — “a vocal critic of the current fashion system and the pressure it puts on designers throughout the creative process” tapped Peter Saville for the redesign job. Saville, famed for his Joy Division and New Order cover art, of which Raf is an ardent fan, shares Raf’s disdain for the industry rat race. (The Jil Sander, John Galliano, Christian Dior, Stella McCartney and frequent Raf Simons collaborator once called the fashion business an exercise in “mass mind control and triviality that enslaves people to consumption.”) Nevertheless, he took on the job and produced a logo that (subtly) ushers in the era of Raf. The sans serif typeface drips with Simons’ clean, minimal, modern aesthetic. It calls to mind the brand’s logo of yore (see below), but it doesn’t feel overly nostalgic. Needless to say, we highly anticipate it — and Raf’s — looming runway debut.
[ via Fashionista ]
