Calvin Klein has announced the end of its 205W39NYC ready-to-wear line, and will no longer be showing collections during fashion week.
In a statement yesterday, the brand announced that it would be closing its Milan office and laying off staff in New York. Calvin Klein will be axing 100 jobs in total, including 205W39NYC president Michelle Kessler-Sanders. The news comes after the business closed its flagship Madison Avenue store in January this year.
While it’s clear that Calvin Klein will not be replacing their ready-to-wear luxury lines with another collection, the ultimate strategy following the closure of 205W39NYC remains unclear. It comes though, at a time of huge flux for the company, following the departure of Chief Creative Officer Raf Simons after two years in 2018. It was Raf who overhauled and redesigned the flagship store Calvin Klein recently closed. Raf’s collections for Calvin Klein drew much critical love, but failed to sell as well as hoped. No successor has been named.
Around the same time as Raf’s departure, the brand announced that it would be embarking on a new strategy, introducing “an unexpected mix of influences and moving at an accelerated pace”. What that new strategy will look like, and who will lead it as Calvin Klein removes itself from the luxury ready-to-wear market, however, remains to be seen.