After co-branding with Palace, can the increasingly trendy CK be able to win steadily? |CalvinKlein|Supreme|Palace_Sina Fashion_Sina.com

Last weekend, the latest joint series ‘CK1 Palace’ of the American fashion brand Calvin Klein and the British street brand Palace was officially released. In addition to Europe and North America, this time it is also available in China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and other countries. .

Following Ralph Lauren and Vans, Calvin Klein is the third American classic clothing giant that Palace cooperates with – Supreme, which also represents American culture, why did not get Calvin Klein’s favor? There are hidden easter eggs behind this.

Historical grudge with Supreme

Ultimately lead CK to choose Palace?

In the 1990s, Calvin Klein invited supermodel Kate Moss to shoot a series of minimalist sexy underwear blockbusters, which were put on the streets of New York.

Supreme, which was just established in 1994, attached its red Bogo stickers directly to Calvin Klein’s commercials and Kate Moss’s crotch in order to gain popularity. , but ultimately failed.

In 2004, on the 10th anniversary of Supreme’s establishment, the poster of Kate Moss of that year was specially made into a Bogo portrait Tee, which was officially released. The T-shirt also included Kate Moss’s message to the manager James Jebbia, which made a mockery of Calvin Klein.

The cooperation between brands is measured in many aspects. Considering the previous litigation dispute with Supreme, when Calvin Klein needed a street-style cooperation, the London-based benchmark brand Palace naturally became the first choice.

Back to the topic, this Calvin Klein x Palace joint series, the use of Helvetica font spelling ‘PalacK’ printing is one of the highlights, the clothing basically presents Calvin Klein’s four core business denim, underwear, perfume and basic casual clothing, It can be said that Calvin Klein is the absolute protagonist of this joint name.

The catalog model is also a luxurious lineup. British representatives include legendary actor Joan Collins, well-known band Pet Shop Boys, emerging singer Unknown T, etc.; American representatives include well-known actor/first-generation Green Goblin Willem Dafoe, Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon, black plus-size models Precious Lee and so on – Anglo-American linkage, simple and crude.

Thanks to the partnership between Palace and Vans, the Calvin Klein x Palace x Vans Authentic shoes that appeared this time are also one of the surprises. The brand-new ‘Cal-VANS’ Logo is covered with the entire white upper, which is a reflection of the American culture. ‘Logo Worship’ Salute.

It is not difficult to find that this kind of cooperation is also very similar to Supreme. Among the joint names of fashion brands such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Comme des Garçons, Vans and Nike are also brought together to launch tripartite joint shoes.

The CK One perfume, which is the first foreign cooperation, can be said to be the most breakthrough product in the series. CK One perfume was born in 1994 and is considered to be the first unisex perfume in the world. It is refreshing and pleasant, and it is still the best-selling perfume. One of the fragrances, the joint edition infuses Palace’s new formula while remaining classic.

In this regard, Palace founder Lev Tanju said: “Being lucky enough to launch our first ever fragrance with Calvin Klein, CK One has changed everything and it has always been a dream of mine to be able to create a new version of Palace;

“I grew up admiring the classic early ’90s Calvin Klein commercials, their minimalism and forward-thinking fashion appealed to everyone. From the very first call with the Calvin Klein team, I knew there was a lot we could do. We collaborate organically and take pride in what we have created together.”

Refocus on iconic products

The trend of CK

At the end of 2018, star designer Raf Simons parted ways with Calvin Klein, and Calvin Klein began to enter the stage of strategic restructuring, disbanding the Milan office, laying off more than 100 people, and suspending the high-end ready-to-wear series for two seasons. At the same time, it also announced that it would spend $120 million to clean up inventory, reorganize stores, demobilize personnel, and thoroughly clean up Raf Simons’ design remnants.

While Raf Simons is a staunch fan of American pop culture, his designs are typically elitist: a massive 205W39NYC show, a reimagined Calvin Klein flagship store, a higher-end avant-garde brand image—all of which Calvin Klein, who used to sell basic casual clothes, was a different story.

The industry generally believes that Raf Simons’ reforms are too radical, which is the main reason why Calvin Klein’s income is lower than expected.

In 2019, Calvin Klein began to return to the traditional star-carrying model, refocusing on iconic products such as underwear, denim, perfume, and casual clothing, and vigorously developing its e-commerce business. At the end of 2019, Calvin Klein’s performance achieved a comprehensive rebound. By 2021, Calvin Klein’s full-year revenue will increase by 28% to $9.155 billion, a record high.

On the one hand, thanks to the rise of the Athflow trend during the pandemic, consumers’ long-term home demand for casual clothing has surged, and on the other hand, through collaborations with super-popular stars such as A$AP Rocky, Justin Bieber, Kendall Jenner, and BLACKPINK member Jennie Cooperation, so that Calvin Klein quickly returned to the center of the conversation.

At the same time, in the past two years, Calvin Klein’s trend of cooperation has become more and more. In 2020, Calvin Klein will join hands with New York street brand KITH to launch a joint series, and supermodel Gigi Hadid will serve as the catalog model;

In 2021, Calvin Klein invited former Donda member Heron Preston as a creative consultant, and launched a new joint series Heron Preston for Calvin Klein, with rap stars Lil Uzi Vert and Nas as catalog models;

Although many views believe that Heron Preston’s role as a creative consultant is more gimmick than substance, its joint design is still firmly limited to Calvin Klein’s established framework. Heron Preston said: “Calvin Klein already has the most iconic products, I don’t want to change too much, I just want to improve them. It is a more difficult task to make the basics stand out.”

This year’s cooperation between Calvin Klein and Palace is actually the same as before. The injection of street tonality and the star-studded catalog lineup, although more powerful, have not hit more unique sparks.

Of course, the global retail market continues to slump. Calvin Klein’s parent company, PVH Group, expects sales growth this year to be only 2% to 3%. In an environment where consumer confidence is seriously insufficient, Calvin Klein uses external joint names to constantly emphasize its own characteristics, but it is more Conducive to a steady victory.

Trend culture has become the main driving force in the apparel industry. There are more and more breakthrough products. The integration of Calvin Klein’s casual style and street style is not abrupt, but if you choose to continue to cultivate, you need to take a bigger step. .