Calvin Klein’s Instagram account announced over the weekend that the brand has decided to “return to the spirit of the original” and acknowledge “the founder and foundations of the fashion house” by launching their new logo to mixed reviews.

With the new appointment of creative director Raf Simons, it appears he is already making changes. The new brandmark was designed in collaboration with English art director and graphic designer Peter Saville, who’s best known for his work on album covers for Joy Division and New Order — two bands that Simons frequently sites as inspiration, particularly in collections for his eponymous menswear label.

As far as iconic fashion brands go – Calvin Klein’s is up there. The brand has gone through a few “facelifts” over time however it is unclear as to what the legitimate reason is to make the (small and somewhat insignificant) change. In the ‘return to the spirit of the original’ the logo is literally just an uppercase version of the old mark which leaves you wondering… why? This does not seem to provide any direction for the future or any real differentiation from where it was. CK has always been quite provocative in it’s marketing and advertising. None of which you can see here. 

When you look at rebranding something with such iconic heritage you need to consider the strategy behind the change and how that is going to impact your audience. Given the change is quite subtle it’s hard to say how much impact this will have but hopefully over time we might find out more in regards to a new strategic direction for the brand. In the meantime you might want to stock up on your CK underwear before we start to see the change on shelves….

Merren Spink
Design Creative