Italian Designer Veronica Leoni Appointed Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection

Italian designer Veronica Leoni has been named the new creative director of the Calvin Klein Collection. Leoni is the first woman appointed to this role by the brand, a symbol of 1990s minimalism.

“We are proud to name Veronica as Creative Director of Collection, the pinnacle expression of the Calvin Klein brand,” Global Brand President Eva Serrano said in a statement. Leoni will report directly to Serrano.

“It was clear from our first conversations that Veronica’s life’s work had been preparing her for this moment and the opportunity to define a new era for Calvin Klein,” Serrano continued. “I am confident that her purposeful approach to design and work ethic, combined with our shared values, will further enrich our iconic brand and result in a collection that resonates with our consumers around the world.”

Calvin Klein Collection has been looking to relaunch for years, following the company’s decision to part ways with then-creative director Raf Simons (now heading Prada alongside founder Miuccia Prada) in December 2018. The return to the catwalks in February 2025 will thus be a test for Calvin Klein’s parent company, PVH Group, which also owns Tommy Hilfiger. 

Veronica Leoni has years of experience in the fashion world, having previously worked at Jil Sander, Céline, Moncler and The Row. In 2021, she founded the Quira brand — named after Veronica’s grandmother, Quirina, a seamstress by profession. The designer was also a finalist for the 2023 edition of the LVMH award dedicated to young talent.

“I’m thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to write a new chapter of the Calvin Klein story. For decades, Calvin Klein interpreted the idea of bold self-expression, and I am willing to empower it with a strong accent on style and creativity,” Leoni said in a release.

“I’m deeply thankful to Eva Serrano for her vision and trust. My career has been marked by inspiring encounters with some of the most visionary women in fashion and she is one of them,” Leoni continued.

“Veronica’s work will add the next-level aspirational halo for the brand and reinforce the strong foundation already in place towards building Calvin Klein into one of the most desirable lifestyle brands in the world,” PVH CEO Stefan Larsson said in a release.

Leoni was celebrated on Instagram by her colleagues including Marco De Vincenzo, creative director of Etro, and Adrian Appiolaza, at the design helm of Moschino.

This story originally ran on The Hollywood Reporter Roma.