5 Things To Know About Veronica Leoni, Calvin Klein's Newest Creative Director

In a surprise move that quickly took the fashion world by storm, Veronica Leoni was appointed as Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collections—a role that has been vacant since the departure of Raf Simons over five years ago. 

While Calvin Klein's high-end brand, Calvin Klein Collections, is known for its timelessly elegant styles, cult following, and memorable '90s runway presence, the label has undergone several drastic shifts throughout the 2000s and 2010s, which led to its suspension in 2019. Under Simons, the luxury label enjoyed plenty of buzz from critics and fashion industry leaders, specifically around Simon's characteristically sensational runway presentations. As part of his directorial influence, Simons fronted the rebrand of the label to 205W39NYC—the address of Calvin Klein's headquarters. As 2018 progressed, declining shopping interest among consumers and directional differences between Simons and CK executives led to Simons' departure and not long after, the brand's discontinued status. 

While Leoni may not be a household name quite yet, her precise, minimalistic approach to design and her strong artistic vision—exercised through roles at Céline under Phoebe Philo, Jil Sander, and The Row—demonstrate an undeniable stylistic prowess and unyielding passion for clothing that makes her the ideal candidate for such a major undertaking at CK. On the heels of major criticism of recent directorial appointments at several top luxury labels revolving around a lack of diversity, Leoni represents a fresh female vision of fashion sorely lacking from the industry. 

“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," said Eva Serrano, global brand president of Calvin Klein, in a press release. 

Calvin Klein has not been on the Fashion Week calendar since 2019, but following Leoni's appointment, the high-end label is slated to host its first runway show in fall 2025, signaling a revival, first and foremost, but also a shift back to the CK days of the '90s with a contemporary twist courtesy of a visionary new female creative director. 

Ahead of a brand new era for Calvin Klein Collections, meet Veronica Leoni and discover the fashion savant behind the revitalization of a once-beloved brand. 

Born and raised in Rome, Leoni grew up in one of the foremost culture capitals of the world, where she curated her sense of art and fashion surrounded by the likes of ancient Roman temples and a distinctly unique city-wide street style. Leoni pursued an education at La Sapienza di Roma, where she studied the literature and philosophy curriculums that shaped her sense of style and her knowledge of fashion history and theory. 

"Of Rome I love its being deconstructed, decomposed, sometimes excessively raw, and yet always beautiful and powerful. An example of 'absence of discipline' that is and remains deep in my aesthetics," Leoni told Lampoon Magazine in 2023.

As a budding designer and artist, Leoni first worked under Jil Sander in the style officers. The German brand's penchant for sharply cut, minimalistic designs are visible in Leoni's work, but as a woman with a vision of her own, a powerful Leoni twist is evident in each and every one of her projects. 

In the same 2023 interview with Lampoon Magazine, Leoni reinforced her connection to Jil Sander, and described the founder of the brand as "A woman from another time, an extraordinary teacher," and "a lightning herself."

Just a few years after the label's launch, Quira was nominated for the 2023 LVMH Prize, one of the most prestigious awards available to fashion designers. The LVMH panel of jury praised Leoni's "back-to-roots approach steeped in authenticity" that can be traced throughout her numerous designs, prompting Quira to move forward as a finalist in the contest. 

Leoni operates under a strict aesthetic vision, although a deep-seated passion for storytelling, artisanal crafting, and an eclectic sense of elegance guides her designs. While these components of her design profile are evident most blatantly in her work for Quira, the clear-cut style has been anticipated to mesh naturally with the Calvin Klein Collections revival vision. 

“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 in the same press release. PVH, the corporation that owns CK, CEO Stefan Larsson echoed these sentiments in the release. “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,”