Raf Simons' first complete eyewear collection for Calvin Klein Belgian designer Raf Simons left Dior in August 2016 to j
Raf Simons' first complete eyewear collection for Calvin Klein Belgian designer Raf Simons left Dior in August 2016 to join Calvin Klein, giving many people more anticipation of Calvin Klein, which was already in decline at the time. Calvin Klein also trusts him to not only men's and women's lines, but also lingerie, denim, fragrances, accessories and home collections.
Recently, he designed Calvin Klei's first complete eyewear collection, including sunglasses and optical lenses. Production and distribution of eyewear will continue to be the responsibility of Marchon, a New York-based eyewear manufacturer whose contract was renewed in September 2017, including eyewear products from Calvin Klein 205W39NYC, Calvin Klein and Calvin Jeans.
The brand's ready-to-wear line, Calvin Klein 205W39NYC, includes sunglasses and optical lenses, with a retail price of between US$425 and US$525 (about RMB 2,600 and RMB3,300), which is the brand's highest-end eyewear line. Distribution channels are also in high-end department stores, including Barneys New York Boutique, Niemann, Denver Street, Isetan and Harvey Nix Stores.
The mid-line is Calvin Klein, which costs between US$139 and US$260 (about RMB900 and RMB1,600). The points of sale are mainly in famous department stores in the United States, such as Bloomingdale and Nordstrom. The cheapest eyewear products are at Calvin Klein Jeans, which cost between US$99 and US$239 (about RMB630 to RMB1,500).
In addition to department stores, these eyewear products are sold in specific optical mirror stores. In fact, Raf Simons has also designed eyewear for the brand in the past, but this is the first time that it has been designed in a more comprehensive way. Calvin Klein's CEO, Steve Shiffman, said that Raf Simons is driving brand growth category by category and that he has a good brand plan.
Marchon's CEO, Nicola Zotta, is also optimistic about the future collaboration with Raf Simons. The arrival of Raf Simons has really emboldened Calvin Klein, who once said that the brand should not only be about lingerie, but also represent the most classic American fashion style. So at New York Fashion Week in February 2017, which was also his Calvin Klein debut, he made 60 looks in one go, combining his personal style with an interpretation of American style.
From the minimalist, wearable and unisex designs of the brand itself, to the continuation of his style when Jil Sander was Creative Director, which is the use of knitted elements. At the same time, it also uses the most popular transparent PVC material. Later collections can also be seen trying to make more drastic changes to the brand.
In addition to the design, Simons also made adjustments to the brand's marketing, portfolio, etc. In January 2017, he launched his first celebrity custom collection, Calvin Klein by Appointment. The subsequent Spring/Summer 2017 campaign also had a distinctly "Raf Simons" style of art, and the brand logo was officially changed from the first letter to all caps, as well as the font and spacing were adjusted.
The new logo looks more like a luxury brand, and some industry insiders believe that this change may imply that Calvin Klein, who was originally positioned in the mid-to-high-end market, wants to move closer to the high-end market. The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awarded Raf Simons the 2017 Men's and Women's Designer of the Year Award and recognized the changes he made since moving to Calvin Klein. Creative decision-making in global marketing, communication, creative visualisation and store design for product categories such as denim, lingerie and home.
For example, he designed the first new concept store, CK CALVIN KLEIN, which opened in June at the Velvia Pavilion in Ginza, Tokyo. In the second quarter of 2017, Calvin Klein's parent company, PVH Group, reported that sales rose 6% year-on-year to $2.07 billion, while net profit rose 31.8% year-on-year to $119 million, compared with a profit of $91 million in the same period last year, a significant recovery compared with a 70% drop in net profit in the first quarter.
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