Calvin Klein (fashion house) facts for kids
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| Subsidiary | |
| Industry | Fashion |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founders |
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| Headquarters |
New York City
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U.S.
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Area served
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Worldwide |
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Key people
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| Products | Apparel, perfume, undergarments, watches, etc. |
| Services | Retailing |
| Revenue |  US$3.78 billion (2022) |
| Parent | PVH (2002–present) |
Calvin Klein Inc. is a famous American fashion company. It sells its well-known products all over the world. The company became very popular in the 1980s for its special underwear and denim (jeans) clothes.
Calvin Klein makes clothes for everyone, no matter their gender or age. They also sell leather items, shoes, home goods, perfumes, glasses, jewelry, and watches. These items are usually sold at a mid-range price. The company used to have a very fancy, high-end fashion line, but it stopped in 2019.
The company was started in 1968 by designer Calvin Klein and his friend, Barry K. Schwartz. Later, in 2003, a company called PVH Corp. bought Calvin Klein. Its main office is in New York City. Calvin Klein products are sold in many places worldwide. In 2022, all the Calvin Klein brand sales, including those from other companies that make Calvin Klein products, added up to about $9.3 billion.
Contents
History
The early years
Calvin Klein grew up in the Bronx, New York. He was one of several famous designers from that area.
In 1968, Calvin Klein started his company, Calvin Klein Limited. It began as a coat shop in a New York City hotel. His first collection featured simple, youthful coats and dresses. These were shown at a store called Bonwit Teller.
In September 1969, Calvin Klein was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine. This helped make him even more famous.
1970s
In 1973, Calvin Klein won his first Coty American Fashion Critics' Award. This award was for his collection of 74 women's clothing items. He was the youngest person to win it at that time. He won the award again in 1974 and 1975.
By 1977, the company's yearly sales had grown a lot. Calvin Klein also started licensing his name for other products. These included scarves, shoes, belts, and even bedsheets. In 1978, Calvin Klein said they sold 200,000 pairs of their famous jeans in just the first week.
In the mid-1970s, Calvin Klein started a trend with designer jeans. He put his name on the back pocket, which made them very popular.
1980s
Calvin Klein changed the way people thought about men's underwear. Before, most men's underwear was white and bought in packs. Calvin Klein made men care about the brand of their underwear, even if few people saw it.
1990s
Even though the company had some tough times in 1992, Calvin Klein became very successful again in the late 1990s. This was mainly thanks to its popular underwear and perfume lines. The "ck sportswear" line also did very well.
During the 1990s, a designer named John Varvatos helped create a new type of men's underwear. It was called "boxer briefs." These were a mix of boxer shorts and briefs. They became super famous because of ads in 1992 that featured Mark Wahlberg. Many people called them "one of the greatest apparel revolutions of the century."
2002–present: Owned by PVH
In 2002, Calvin Klein Inc. was sold to a company called Phillips Van Heusen Corp (PVH). PVH bought Calvin Klein for about $400 million in cash. They also got rights to use the Calvin Klein name for products.
In 2013, PVH bought another company called Warnaco Group. Warnaco used to make many Calvin Klein products under a special agreement. This purchase brought all the different Calvin Klein clothing lines, like formal wear, underwear, and jeans, together under PVH.
In 2020, PVH announced that Calvin Klein would stop using exotic animal skins in its collections. This is part of their plan to be more animal-friendly.
Products and brands
Calvin Klein has many different product lines. Here are some of the main ones:
- Calvin Klein 205W39NYC (This was a very fancy, high-end designer line, but it stopped in 2019.)
- ck Calvin Klein (This line is a bit more affordable than the top-end one. It's a mix of everyday and designer styles.)
- Calvin Klein (This is the main line for everyday fashion and sportswear.)
- Calvin Klein Sport (A sporty version of the main line, often sold at stores like Macy's.)
- Calvin Klein Jeans (This line focuses on denim clothes, like jeans and denim jackets.)
- Calvin Klein Home (This includes fancy bedding, towels, and other home items.)
- Calvin Klein Golf (This line was launched in 2007 for golf clothing.)
- Calvin Klein Underwear (This line is famous for its underwear collections.)
- CK one Lifestyle brand (This brand includes fragrance, underwear, and jeans. It started in 2011.)
- Calvin Klein Watches + Jewelry (Watches started in 1997, and jewelry in 2004.)
Fragrances
Calvin Klein has many popular perfumes and colognes. Some well-known ones include Obsession, CK Be, and Eternity. A big cosmetics company called Coty, Inc. now handles all of Calvin Klein's fragrances.
Branding
Like many fashion brands, Calvin Klein has its own special symbol. It's the "ck" emblem, which you can see on many of their products.
Designers
When PVH Corp. bought Calvin Klein in 2003, Francisco Costa became the Women's Creative Director. He had worked with Calvin Klein himself before.
Italo Zucchelli became the Men's Creative Director for Calvin Klein Collection in 2004. He had worked with Calvin Klein for several seasons before that.
In 2016, Raf Simons was named the Chief Creative Officer for the whole brand. He was in charge of all design, marketing, and creative ideas. He oversaw everything from ready-to-wear clothes to jeans and home items. His first collections came out in Fall 2017.
In 2018, Raf Simons left Calvin Klein. In 2020, Jessica Lomax was appointed Global Head of Design. She now leads the design strategy for Calvin Klein around the world.
Stores
Calvin Klein has different types of stores around the world:
- Calvin Klein Collection
These were very fancy stores that sold the most high-end clothes. They used to be in cities like Paris and New York. Most of these stores are now closed.
- Calvin Klein (white label)
These are regular Calvin Klein stores that sell sportswear and other items. You can find them in shopping malls. There are also Calvin Klein Outlet stores. These are usually in factory outlet malls and sell items at lower prices.
- Calvin Klein Jeans
You can find Calvin Klein Jeans stores all over the world. They are in countries like the UK, Germany, Brazil, México, India, and Australia.
- Calvin Klein Underwear
Special Calvin Klein Underwear stores are in many major cities. These include New York City, London, Shanghai, and Toronto.
- Department Stores
You can also find Calvin Klein products in big department stores in the US. These include Macy's, Dillard's, and Nordstrom. Some very high-end department stores, like Saks Fifth Avenue, also carry the fancier Calvin Klein Collection. In the UK, stores like John Lewis sell Calvin Klein. In Australia, Myer is a main retailer. You can also buy Calvin Klein products online.
- Europe and Asia
In Europe, Calvin Klein is mostly known for its underwear, accessories, and high-end collections. In Asia, there are also special "ck Calvin Klein" stores. These stores sell a wider range of clothes and accessories.
See also
In Spanish: Calvin Klein para niños
- Bonds (clothing)
- Gap Inc.
- H&M
- Zara (retailer)
- Desigual
