The House Signals a Return to the Runway with Fall 2025 Collection
Calvin Klein Inc., part of PVH Corp., has announced Veronica Leoni as the new Creative Director of Collection, marking a significant step towards the brand’s return to the runway. This move is seen as a strategic effort to reinvigorate the brand’s high-end designer collection.
Veronica Leoni, a 2023 LVMH Prize finalist and founder of QUIRA, brings a wealth of experience from her work with Jil Sander, Phoebe Philo’s Céline, Moncler, and The Row. In her new role, she will blend her extensive industry expertise with the modern aesthetic of Calvin Klein. Leoni will collaborate closely with Calvin Klein Global Brand President Eva Serrano to influence both the mainline portfolio and red carpet designs. She will report directly to Serrano
Calvin Klein has been without a head designer since Raf Simons departed in late 2018. Simons, now co-designer at Prada alongside Miuccia Prada, joined Calvin Klein in 2016 and immediately set out to overhaul the collections, ad campaigns, and teams. His directional fashion shows generated significant buzz, steering the brand away from its minimalist roots. For his work, Simons won the CFDA Womenswear and Menswear Designer of the Year in 2017, and the Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2018. Despite this, PVH Corp. invested heavily—up to $70 million—into the rebrand, primarily in the Collection, but did not see a substantial return on investment. Following Simons’ departure over creative differences, the company closed its New York Collection flagship at 654 Madison Avenue.
Before Simons, Francisco Costa had a 13-year tenure as creative director of Calvin Klein Collection’s womenswear line, succeeding Calvin Klein himself. Costa won the CFDA’s Womenswear Designer of the Year in 2006 and 2008. In April 2016, Klein announced Costa’s exit as part of a new global creative strategy to unify all Calvin Klein brands under one vision. Concurrently, Italo Zucchelli, the men’s creative director, and Ulrich Grimm, global head of non-apparel design, also left the firm.
For the past five years, Calvin Klein has operated without a high-end designer collection. However, the brand has recently regained attention through campaigns featuring Jeremy Allen White, K-pop stars Jennie Kim of Blackpink, and Jungkook of BTS. Zendaya also wore a custom Calvin Klein suit at the Rome premiere of “Challengers.”
The new Collection will include men’s and women’s apparel, underwear, and accessories, debuting in Fall 2025. “We are proud to name Veronica as Creative Director of Collection, the pinnacle expression of the Calvin Klein brand,” said Serrano. “It was clear from our first conversations that Veronica’s life’s work had been preparing her for this moment and the opportunity to define a new era for Calvin Klein.”
Leoni expressed her excitement about the new role: “I’m thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to write a new chapter of the Calvin Klein story. For decades, Calvin Klein interpreted the idea of bold self-expression, and I am willing to empower it with a strong accent on style and creativity. I’m deeply thankful to Eva Serrano for her vision and trust. My career has been marked by inspiring encounters with some of the most visionary women in fashion and she is one of them.”
PVH CEO Stefan Larsson added, “Eva and her team are already driving some of the highest consumer engagement in Calvin Klein’s history. Veronica’s work will add the next-level aspirational halo for the brand and reinforce the strong foundation already in place towards building Calvin Klein into one of the most desirable lifestyle brands in the world.”
Leoni’s appointment is part of a broader strategy under Serrano’s leadership to uphold the legacy of Calvin Klein and engage the next generation of consumers. Her first runway show for Calvin Klein is set for Fall 2025.