Calvin Klein’s runway revival has hit another turning point. Veronica Leoni, the designer entrusted with rebuilding the fashion house’s high-end Collection line, is leaving after four seasons, the company announced on October 15.
The departure comes just weeks after Leoni presented her fourth and final collection in September. Calvin Klein has not named her successor, leaving the future creative direction of its luxury division open.
For a label whose return to the runway was one of New York fashion’s most closely watched developments, the news marks a significant change. Leoni was brought in to reconnect Calvin Klein with its fashion heritage, but her exit arrives before that renewed identity has had much time to settle.
The brand says Collection remains central to its long-term strategy. The question now is who will shape its next chapter—and whether Calvin Klein can sustain the momentum of its runway comeback.
Veronica Leoni exits Calvin Klein after four seasons
Calvin Klein confirmed Leoni’s departure in a statement, with global brand president David Savman thanking her for her creative vision, commitment and partnership.
Savman described the reintroduction of Collection as a major milestone, praising Leoni’s fresh interpretation of the brand’s signature design codes. He also reaffirmed that Collection remains an important part of Calvin Klein’s future.
The company has said it will announce new creative leadership in due course. No replacement has been identified publicly.
The exit ends a relatively brief but consequential tenure. Leoni was appointed creative director of Calvin Klein Collection in May 2024, becoming the first woman to lead the New York fashion house’s luxury line.
Her departure also adds to a wider pattern of leadership changes across major fashion houses, where creative directors are increasingly expected to balance distinctive artistic identities with commercial performance and brand heritage.
The runway comeback that put Calvin Klein back in Fashion’s Spotlight
Leoni’s appointment was part of Calvin Klein’s effort to restore its presence in high fashion. The brand had stepped away from the runway following the departure of Raf Simons in 2018.
Her debut arrived at New York Fashion Week in February 2025, presenting the Fall/Winter 2025 collection. It marked Calvin Klein’s first runway show in seven years and drew substantial attention from the fashion industry.
Leoni brought experience from Jil Sander, Céline, Moncler and The Row, as well as her own label, Quira. Her approach combined refined tailoring and sculptural silhouettes with the minimalism associated with Calvin Klein.
The challenge was considerable: the Collection line needed to establish a compelling luxury identity while remaining recognisably connected to a brand best known worldwide for denim, underwear and iconic advertising.
Her first show generated anticipation. Subsequent collections, however, received mixed critical responses, with some reviewers questioning whether the designs had moved too far from Calvin Klein’s famously pared-back aesthetic.
Why Leoni’s final Collection matters
The timing of the departure is particularly notable because Leoni’s September 2026 collection was reportedly her most positively received.
After criticism that earlier designs were too complicated for the brand’s minimalist identity, the latest collection moved toward a more restrained visual language.
That evolution may have suggested a clearer direction for Calvin Klein Collection: preserving Leoni’s design sensibility while bringing the house’s essentialism back into sharper focus.
Yet the designer will not be there to develop that direction further.
The departure leaves the brand with a difficult decision. A new creative director could continue the simplification, reinterpret Calvin Klein’s archive or introduce an entirely different vision. Until a successor is announced, the next runway chapter remains uncertain.
Calvin Klein’s Leadership changes add to the uncertainty
Leoni’s exit follows the departure of Eva Serrano, the former Calvin Klein president who hired her. Serrano left the company in May 2025, only months after Leoni’s runway debut.
The change in leadership means the creative revival has already passed through a significant executive transition. Now, another change places the Collection line at a crossroads.
Calvin Klein’s luxury division has had a limited number of creative leaders since founder Calvin Klein retired in 2003. Francisco Costa led the label before Raf Simons took over in 2016. Simons departed in 2018, after which the brand withdrew from the runway.
Leoni was brought in to reopen that chapter. Her departure raises the prospect of another reset before the line has established a durable place in the contemporary luxury market.
The Commercial question behind Calvin Klein Collection
The creative changes are unfolding against a wider business challenge.
PVH, Calvin Klein’s parent company, reported that Calvin Klein sales declined 7% year over year in the second quarter, according to figures reported in July. The company is pursuing a broader strategy to develop Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger into modern lifestyle businesses.
Collection occupies a particular role in that plan. It is intended to represent the highest fashion expression of Calvin Klein, while the wider brand remains strongly associated with accessible essentials, celebrity campaigns and denim.
That distinction matters. A successful runway line can strengthen a fashion house’s prestige and influence its wider image, but it also needs a clear identity and a sustainable place within the business.
Leoni’s departure does not establish that her collections caused the reported sales decline. The available reporting does not demonstrate a direct connection between her exit and Calvin Klein’s quarterly performance.
Instead, the timing highlights the pressure facing luxury fashion leadership: creative ambition must coexist with commercial priorities, changing consumer tastes and the expectations attached to an iconic name.
Could Veronica Leoni return to Quira?
Leoni’s next move is not yet known. Before joining Calvin Klein, she founded Quira, her independent fashion label, which was put on pause when she accepted the creative director role.
A return to the label is one possible future, but there has been no announcement confirming that she intends to relaunch it.
Her experience at Calvin Klein may give her a broader platform for her own design language. Equally, she could pursue another position within the international fashion industry.
For now, the immediate focus remains on Calvin Klein. The house must appoint a new creative leader and decide how to build on the runway revival Leoni helped initiate.
What happens next for Calvin Klein?
Calvin Klein says Collection will continue and remains a central expression of the brand. But with Leoni departing and a successor still unannounced, the next stage of its luxury strategy is unresolved.
Her tenure began with the promise of a major runway return and ends after four collections, just as her work appeared to be moving toward a more streamlined interpretation of the brand.
The departure is therefore more than a designer change. It is another test of whether Calvin Klein can establish a lasting luxury identity in an industry where creative leadership is increasingly unsettled.
The next appointment will reveal whether the house intends to build on Leoni’s direction, or begin again.
Sources: Vogue: Veronica Leoni Exits Calvin Klein After Four Seasons | PVH: Veronica Leoni’s 2024 appointment
