Calvin Klein has just announced an exciting new collaboration unlike any other fashion-meets-art partnership before.
Calvin Klein and the Andy Warhol Foundation have joined forces for a 4-year agreement that will allow the fashion brand to use Warhol’s artwork in their collections in nearly any way they choose. The agreement even includes work by Warhol that has never been seen in public. In exchange, Calvin Klein will contribute to the foundation’s contemporary visual arts grants. Calvin Klein creative director, Raf Simons, has been a longtime fan of Warhol and his work, having used his pieces in campaigns and collections in the past. The fashion industry and the art world have always been intertwined but this new style of partnership could represent a fresh direction in the growing world of collaborations.
In a a release, Simons said of Warhol:
“I’ve come to realize that Warhol’s genius goes much deeper than cheerful Campbell’s Soup paintings, he captured all sides of the American experience, including sometimes its darker sides. Warhol’s art tells more truths about this country than you can find almost anywhere else.”
Calvin Klein is one of America’s most iconic brands, so Warhol’s vision definitely fits in with their brand identity. We can’t wait to see how Simons utilizes Warhol’s art in upcoming collections.