It's been a few weeks since a big-name designer departure — and given all the turnover conversation the past seasons, we've been due for some shake-ups. Today, Calvin Klein announced that both Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli (creative directors for womenswear and menswear, respectively) are departing their positions.
Costa took the reigns of women's design over at Calvin Klein in 2003. (Among the Brazilian designer's many, many memorable moments at the brand, Kendall Jenner's tromp l'oeil sequin dress from last year's Tony Awards comes to mind.) Zucchelli, who's headed up menswear for the label since 2004, is also out. This strategic decision, apparently, will involve a single designer coming on to unify the brand's aesthetic across categories: "A new brand direction will ultimately follow one creative vision across all categories of the business," the brand said in a statement. "An announcement will be made in due course."
Calvin Klein CEO Steve Shiffman called the impending appointment "the beginning of another significant chapter in Calvin Klein’s brand legacy since Mr. Klein’s retirement" in the statement. He thanked Costa and Zucchelli for their contributions to the house, and for "making Calvin Klein a global leader in the fashion industry."
The latter half of the statement, about a forthcoming announcement, is particularly intriguing — not only because it means we have yet another creative director shuffle on our hands, but because of rumors surrounding Raf Simons' big follow-up to Dior. Talk about the Belgian designer heading up the American fashion house was dismissed early on — but, who knows? Social media reactions regarding Simons' possible appointment quickly followed the CK news — Simons appears to be the popular frontrunner.
When contacted by Refinery29 regarding the whisperings surrounding Simons as potential heir apparent to both Zucchelli and Costa, Calvin Klein's PR team said they do not comment on rumors. Stay tuned for further updates.
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