Calvin Klein’s Madison Avenue flagship store has reopened, spotlighting a floor-to-ceiling installation by artist Sterling Ruby in a space that showcases Chief Creative Officer Raf Simons’ debut Fall 2017 Calivin Klein 205W39NYC collection. Ruby reworked architectural designer John Pawson’s original design of the flagship store, drawing influence from Ruby’s two prior Calvin Klein projects: the ground floor and a showroom at the company’s New York headquarters.
The building where the showroom is located is itself being renovated. As the brand shares, “To reflect that impermanence, the design incorporates and invokes an environment under construction: scaffolding fills the space and an overwhelming wash of bright yellow paint coats the walls and invades interior volumes, reflecting the warning color of cautionary tape and traffic signs. … The use of color, everyday materials and the serviceable nature of scaffolding brought indoors all give the reimagined flagship store a warm, youthful energy, communicating the celebration of change and progress at the brand.”
“I wanted the store to generate a very immediate physical experience that could as well be intimately connected to the collections,” said Simons. “It is also a continuation of the language I am creating with Sterling for Calvin Klein’s visible and physical identity. The use of very direct and familiar references common to the American visual experience creates a simple and emotional connection with the brand.”
“I’m taking the Calvin Klein flagship store from minimal to maximal; my design should be seen as a marker to celebrate the future of the brand,” said Ruby. “I wanted the store to glow from within, representing a new day for Calvin Klein.”
The store is also offering a selection of home objects, among them: Homer Laughlin coffee mugs, Rose Cabat feelies, vintage American quilts, white bedding and Italian vintage glassware. The items are integrated within the showroom space.
