Them’s fighting words!
Kendall Jenner might be the star of Calvin Klein‘s underwear ads, but she’s not the eponymous designer’s cup of tea.
In a recent talk at Savannah College of Art and Design, Calvin Klein — who stepped down as creative director of his namesake fashion brand in 2002 — had nothing nice to say about the Keeping Up With the Kardashians star.
“You know, I’m really not familiar with [Jenner’s role in Francisco Costa–fronted Calvin Klein ads,]” he told former CFDA president Fern Mallis at the Thursday, April 14, event. “I’m honestly not. I’m sure she’s a lovely young woman. It’s not the kind of thing I would have done, even today.”
But his position was more a comment about the rise of the “Insta-Girls” than about Jenner. “Now, models are paid for how many followers they have. They’re booked not because they represent the essence of the designer, which is what I tried to do,” Klein went on to say. “I don’t think that, long-term, is going to work. I don’t think that’s a great formula for success for the product you’re trying to sell.”
That’s not to say he disapproves of every one of the brand’s celeb ambassadors. “When [I say] I like Justin Bieber in the Calvin Klein Underwear [campaign], it’s because I like him — not because he’s got millions of followers,” he noted. “I think [Bieber’s posters] are very good.”
What do you think of Calvin’s Kendall shade?
