The first string of television advertisements launched Calvin Klein and his denim into households in 1980, starring a 15 year old Brooke Shields attempting to nonsensically solve financial equations while in a compromising position: “Whenever I get some money, I buy Calvins. And if there’s any left, I pay the rent.”
With the chatter the ‘Rent’ commercial received, director and photographer Richard Avedon further pushed sexual suggestiveness with a slogan that is still used to this day: “Do you know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing…” The zoomed in crotch shot caused uproar in some parts of America, and led to the commercial being pulled from a number of major networks. This would be the first time a Calvin Klein advertisement would be banned, but as we have seen and already discussed at the start of this year, it certainly would not be the last.
In 1994, Klein spoke to WWD about his newfound controversies: “I didn’t set out thinking how to be controversial. With Brooke Shields years ago, I thought it was a hoot, but all these people went crazy. We need newness and excitement in fashion- we’re questioning people’s values.”
With such discourse surrounding the Denim commercials, Klein knew he could further up the ante and chose to devote half a million dollars to the reveal of his next endeavour: underwear. Shot by Bruce Weber, draped in the middle of Times Square, a towering 17 meter billboard of Herculean pole vaulter Tom Hintnaus was revealed. This catapulted an entire new era of advertising: sex blatantly and successfully sells. In two weeks, all department stores in New York sold out of the must-have Calvin Klein briefs, and after the launch of women’s underwear, 80,000 pairs were sold within the first 90 days. The first year was fabled to have a $4 million profit alone, simply through cotton underwear. That’s a lot of Calvins.
Understanding the power of this new form of aesthetic minimal marketing and production, Klein placed $13 million into his next empire expansion: the release of his first perfume, Obsession, again choosing to align with Avedon. After three years of continuous high demand and success, Klein released yet another scent- Eternity- casting the first-time model 19 year old Christy Turlington, who would later go on to become one of the highest paid supermodels, ever.
Shortly thereafter, a then-nameless young Kate Moss would come to make a controversial appearance for Calvin Klein, in men’s underwear, topless, alongside Mark Wahlberg in a commercial and print campaign. In 2022, Moss revealed in a radio interview that the shoot made her feel “objectified, vulnerable, and scared. For a week or two, I couldn’t get out of bed, I had severe anxiety, I was taking Valium.” But that would not stop her from returning to CK and joining its empire.
The next year, Moss teamed up again with CK- this time as the face of Obsession. Moss’ no-make up look and casual gaze set a new standard for beauty, and what would be considered sexy. Gone were the days of the done up, hyper femme glamour. In was ushered a minimal and androgynous grunge that we have come to associate with the downtown New York 90s fashion scene of heroin chic, prepubescent models.
In 2002, Klein sold his company, eventually giving up all creative control and direction. However the sexual provocation and powerful minimalism lives on, with nearly all CK campaigns being revamps from, or at the very least, nods to the iconic classic 90s marketing conjured by Calvin. When asking friends which campaigns they found the hottest, another question was asked: “How does some of the least sexiest underwear come to be attached to the sexiest ads of all time?” Brilliance. And debatably, Kate Moss.
As a treat, enjoy some more of our favorite shots, for one reason or another, of Calvin Klein faces and bodies over the years.
