Reborn in the USA: Raf Simons unveils Sterling Ruby-designed Calvin Klein flagship

Calvin Klein Madison Avenue flagship interior
Calvin Klein has reopened its Madison Avenue flagship in NYC, redesigned under the direction of chief creative officer Raf Simons.
(Image credit: Elizabeth Felicella/Esto Photographics)

Raf Simons’ reworking of the Calvin Klein brand reached a new high with the reopening of its Madison Avenue flagship space in New York City. Coinciding with the arrival of Simons’ debut collection in store, the three-storey space – originally designed by John Pawson – has been transformed with an immersive floor-to-ceiling installation by the American artist Sterling Ruby.

The artist’s concept for the boutique plays off two other interiors projects he’s previously created for the label – the 12th floor showroom and the ground floor space of its 205 West 39th Street headquarters. It also echoes the brand’s new space at Dover Street Market New York. Filled with artfully arranged scaffolding, hanging sculptures by Ruby and awash with bright, traffic-sign yellow, the boutique’s interior is charged with a transient feel that straddles both realms of art and industry.

Calvin Klein Madison Avenue flagship interior

Calvin Klein’s NYC boutique is flush with dazzling traffic-sign yellow.

(Image credit: Elizabeth Felicella/Esto Photographics)

Ruby’s sculptures, which are made up of everyday objects and materials, also occasionally feature Calvin Klein’s 205W39NYC logo, reiterating the Peter Saville-designed moniker for Simons’ new vision. Vibrant, youthful and concurrently capturing the gleam and grit of American culture, the boutique visually epitomises the progressive energy of the iconic brand.

Filled with Simons’ A/W 2017 men’s and women’s collection for the label, and new denim, underwear and accessories offerings, the boutique brings the previously disparate facets of Calvin Klein’s universe effortlessly under one roof. A specially selected assortment of home objects, which include Homer Laughlin coffee mugs, ceramic vessels by ceramicist Rose Cabat and vintage Italian glassware, are mixed in throughout the store. One-of-a-kind vintage quilts also serve as a contemporary foil for the brand’s new all-white bedding collection.

Simons says, ‘I wanted the store to generate a very immediate physical experience that could as well be intimately connected to the collections. It is also a continuation of the language I am creating with Sterling for Calvin Klein’s visible and physical identity.’

homeware objects

A curated selection of homeware objects, including one-of-a-kind quilts.

(Image credit: Elizabeth Felicella/Esto Photographics)

Calvin Klein Madison Avenue flagship interior

Simons has worked with longtime collaborator Sterling Ruby on a floor-to-ceiling installation throughout the space.

(Image credit: Elizabeth Felicella/Esto Photographics)

Calvin Klein Madison Avenue flagship interior

The bright installation is constructed from everyday objects, including buckets and swathes of fabric.

(Image credit: Elizabeth Felicella/Esto Photographics)

Calvin Klein’s Dover Street Market interior

Calvin Klein’s new Dover Street Market New York space has also been reimagined by Sterling Ruby.

(Image credit: Elizabeth Felicella/Esto Photographics)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Calvin Klein website

ADDRESS

654 Madison Avenue
New York

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Pei-Ru Keh is a former US Editor at Wallpaper*. Born and raised in Singapore, she has been a New Yorker since 2013. Pei-Ru held various titles at Wallpaper* between 2007 and 2023. She reports on design, tech, art, architecture, fashion, beauty and lifestyle happenings in the United States, both in print and digitally. Pei-Ru took a key role in championing diversity and representation within Wallpaper's content pillars, actively seeking out stories that reflect a wide range of perspectives. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children, and is currently learning how to drive.