WWD reports that after much speculation, Raf Simons and Calvin Klein have parted ways. The Belgian designer originally joined the fashion house in August 2016 as chief creative officer. He was given full creative reign over the brand, but this past September, the label sought to reduce his responsibilities. Chief marketing officer Marie Gulin-Merle was given the responsibility of overseeing store design, visual merchandising, e-commerce, public relations and communications, and corporate social responsibility.
As a result of Simons’ departure, the brand will not show its latest collection during New York Fashion Week in February. Rumors of Simons’ eventual departure circulated after PVH Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Emanuel Chirico discussed the designer’s performance in November.
In an earnings call, Chirico explained that Simons’ direction for Calvin Klein wasn’t working, especially with the new 205W39NYC line. He’s quoted as saying, While many of the product categories performed well, we are disappointed by the lack of return on our investments in our Calvin Klein 205W39NYC halo business and believe that some of Calvin Klein Jeans’ relaunched product was too elevated and did not sell through as well as we planned.
According to Chirico, Calvin Klein 205W39NYC received an investment of $60 to $70 million and made no return on the investment.
