Calvin Klein's new creative director Raf Simons recently unveiled an updated logo for the iconic American fashion label and has revealed that he enlisted the help of British graphic design legend Peter Saville. The Belgian fashion designer, who left French fashion house Dior to take the reigns at the brand in August 2016, unveiled the new insignia on Instagram last week. The subtle redesign replaces the upper and lower case text that spells the founder's name with all capitals. The pair also moved the letters closer to one another, creating a subtle but recognisable difference. Calvin Klein's Instagram caption described it as “a return to the spirit of the original” and “an acknowledgement of the founder and foundations of the fashion house.” Calvin Klein has used several iterations of its minimal logo since the brand was founded in 1968. Variations include a small C and larger K in a serif typeface.
Peter Saville
Ultimately it's not going to move mountains, but altering the ubiquitous logo, which famously adorns the elastic waistbands of Calvin Klein underwear, could prove to be a divisive move. Many fashion fans were surprisingly upset, for example, when designer Hedi Slimane changed the Yves Saint Laurent monogram to a text logo that dropped the “Yves” in 2012. Nothing has been dropped here though, it's merely an amplification of the brand. The YSL link is actually rather apt here, given that back in 2013, Saville revealed that he was designing an identity for Kanye West, and that the rapper had asked him “to do a YSL” with the logo. He is no stranger to the fashion industry either, listing brands Lacoste and Y-3 among his collaborators. The designer recently produced graphics for the extended Tate Modern art gallery in London and glassware for Manchester's Museum of Science & Industry. He first rose to fame creating album cover graphics and posters for Manchester nightclub Hacienda in the 1970s and 1980s and for Factory records bands such as Joy Division and New Order.
