Calvin Klein forms multi-year deal with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Nov 29, 2017

Calvin Klein announced on Tuesday a multi-year partnership with The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

 
As per the new partnership, effective through 2020, the American fashion label will support the foundation’s endowment, and in turn the brand will have access to Warhol’s published and unpublished works. The partnership will also extend to licensing projects and future activations for Calvin Klein.
 
“I’ve come to realize that Warhol’s genius goes much deeper than cheerful Campbell’s Soup paintings,” said Raf Simons, Chief Creative Officer. “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.”

Simons first featured the late artist’s work in the Calvin Klein spring 2017 campaign named 'American Classics'. Paintings and portraits by Warhol, Dan Flavin, Richard Prince, and Sterling Ruby, a frequent collaborator of Simons, served as a backdrop to the campaign that featured models in Calvin Klein denim, t-shirts and underwear. The Calvin Klein 205W39NYC spring 2018 collection, the first step in the partnership which was unveiled in September 2017, also features Warhol’s artwork as screen prints.
 
The new partnership between Calvin Klein and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is an extension of Simons’ new love affair with Warhol’s work and its influence on Calvin Klein’s current direction.
 
“We are proud that Raf’s visionary work at Calvin Klein will unabashedly embrace all facets of Warhol’s work and generously contribute to the foundation’s endowment,” added Michael Dayton Hermann, Director of Licensing at the Warhol Foundation.
 
“Warhol’s legacy is not limited to the tremendous influence of his timeless concepts but also through the work of the foundation he established, which has become one of the pre-eminent funders of contemporary art having distributed over $275 million in grants since inception.”