New York Fashion Week is here, and I’m confused: why does generic minimalism have to dominate this city so relentlessly? Everyone wants to be the next Halston (or The Row), but in reality, it’s not as simple as it looks. As LEWIS’S wrote, minimalism is “the most difficult aesthetic to achieve” and it “demands the highest precision and a mastery of the fundamentals of design”. Contemporary New York–based designers should print these words out and pin them to their studio walls.
Especially Veronica Leoni, creative director of Calvin Klein Collection. Spring–Summer 2026 marks her sophomore season, and it falters just as much as her debut. What bothers me most is how unedited and unresolved it feels – particularly considering Leoni has the ‘luxury’ of presenting just two runway collections a year, a privilege many designers can only dream of. Her latest offering resembles COS staging runway shows: an exhaustive survey of current trends, watered down and labeled ‘minimal.’ But here’s the issue: COS is an ambitious high-street brand, while Calvin Klein Collection positions itself as a high-luxury label. At those price points, the last thing you want is a diluted mélange of Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega Veneta, Louise Trotter’s Carven, the Meiers’ Jil Sander, and even Maximilian Davis’ Ferragamo.
The only authentic moment on Leoni’s runway was the Canadian tuxedo, worn by a blond male model who could have stepped straight out of a Richard Avedon ad. That look is quintessentially Calvin Klein – but the catch is, you already find that product in the ‘mainstream’ line, where Bad Bunny and Cooper Koch flaunt their jewels. And here we hit another of Leoni’s major problems: the utter disconnect between her collection and what Calvin Klein represents to contemporary, mainstream audiences. Those logo waistbands repurposed into a faux-intrecciato dress and sunglasses do nothing to bridge the gap.
Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Maybe it’s the general fatigue from the constant fashion cycles – since January 7th, it’s been non-stop fashion weeks (pre-fall, menswear, couture, and the bizarrely packed Copenhagen and Berlin FWs) – but New York Fashion Week so far feels painfully generic. Of course, there were exceptions: Marc Jacobs‘ joyful outing and Christopher John Rogers‘ exuberant return to the runway. But in the sea of tasteless minimalism flooding the city, it’s easy to forget these fleeting moments of vitality.
And that’s precisely the problem with NYFW and its brands: their obsession with minimalism. Everyone wants to be the next The Row but ends up in the limbo of Totême, Proenza Schouler, and the current-day, shapeless look of Jil Sander. Everyone wants to channel the straightforward, raw elegance of Phoebe Philo, but the result is COS. Worse yet – overpriced COS.
New York has a deep-rooted history with minimalism. Minimal art was born here: think Frank Stella’s geometric perfection, Donald Judd’s rigorously crafted “Specific Objects,” and Dan Flavin’s fluorescent light installations. It’s no coincidence that as minimal art began to take shape, fashion minimalists emerged in the city, starting with Halston and Zoran, evolving through Calvin Klein and Donna Karan, and culminating in Helmut Lang – who, ironically, wasn’t even based in New York. His vision of womenswear and menswear in the late ’90s, formed during his time in the city, creatively propels local designers of today, like Mike Eckhaus and Zoe Latta of Eckhaus Latta. It’s really no wonder why so many brands are fixated on minimalism here. But should they be?
The appointment of Veronica Leoni as creative director at Calvin Klein (Collection) promised to be the next big New York success story everyone had been waiting for. Unfortunately, the Italian designer – best known for her discreet label Quira – missed the mark with her debut. Completely.
Calvin Klein’s minimalism of yore was charged with emotion and grace. His lines and silhouettes were simple, yet sophisticated, exuding power. Just take a look at this Instagram archive of his runway collections – less really was more. What I saw at Calvin Klein Collection yesterday, however, left me with a sad feeling of emptiness. It all looked like another variation of the generic minimalist grey (or rather, beige!) zone overtaking fashion. And it’s not even true minimalism; it’s stylized to look minimalist. We already have enough brands doing that – like Maximilian Davis’ Ferragamo or the aforementioned Jil Sander under the Meiers. These are collections you won’t remember in six months when they hit the stores. I doubt anyone will remember Leoni’s plaid shirt moment (how Matthieu Blazy for Bottega), the caped shirt (hello, Phoebe!), or yet another broad-shouldered camel coat that she presented. Kendall Jenner’s runway appearance and “CK One”-inspired mini-bags won’t help with the fashion amnesia.
Veronica Leoni’s first attempt to revive Calvin Klein’s runway line highlights just how ahead of his time Raf Simons was with his 205W39NYC concept. Instead of playing to the obvious Calvin trope of minimalism, he tackled another: Americana. And he delivered a short-lived but utterly memorable body of work, presenting the Calvin Klein legacy through a truly exciting lens. Good for Miuccia: she was quick to snap him up for Prada right after his New York stint.
Of course, it’s far too early to judge Veronica Leoni’s first collection at Calvin Klein. But if she plans to continue orbiting this plain-looking status quo, I doubt it will succeed. Women already have Khaite, and men have Fear of God. Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, labels like Lemaire, Phoebe Philo, Hed Mayner, and of course, The Row – now fully Paris-based, no surprise – that aren’t afraid to push the boundaries of what minimalism can mean (and look like).
Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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