Raf Simons, the new chief creative officer of Calvin Klein, will debut his first collection for the brand on February 10 as part of New York Fashion Week, and has just announced, via WWD, that he will combine the men’s and women’s collections. It will be a first for Raf, who designed both during his tenure at Jil Sander, but kept the collections very separate. His namesake brand has always been menswear only.
It will put more pressure on the menswear season, as many big brands will be combining their shows this year. Gucci, Burberry, Bottega Veneta, Tom Ford, and Vetements have all been experimenting with changes to the show schedule, either by combining their men’s and women’s collections, trialling see now, buy now, or, in the case of Vetements, showing during couture week. It’s not the only change for Raf this season. Fresh from moving his menswear show to Pitti to present his Robert Mapplethorpe-inspired collection, he’s on the road again, taking his eponymous label to NYFW:Men’s. That show will be taking place on February 1.
All eyes on the Big Apple to see what Raf does next.
Credits
Text Felix Petty
Photography Willy Vanderperre