Generic. Calvin Klein Collection SS26

September 13, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

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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Give Us Nothing. Calvin Klein Collection AW25

February 8, 2025 | Design & Culture by Ed

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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Style, Not Fashion. Quira AW23

April 5, 2023 | Design & Culture by Ed

Veronica Leoni, the founder and designer behind Quira, is one of this year’s LVMH Prize finalists. No wonder why. The designer’s Italian roots give the three-year-old Quira its spirited quality, an expressive, instinctual peculiarity that translates into a “maximal minimalism,” as Leoni calls it. Her pedigree comes from having worked in close proximity with Jil Sander and Celine’s Phoebe Philo; for both she was head designer of the knitwear line. Moncler’s Remo Ruffini put Leoni in the top creative position for womenswear at Moncler 1952; currently she’s consulting with The Row for both men’s and women’s collections, working closely with the Olsens. “In Quira, there’s a sort of coexistence of all the differences, both geographic and stylistic, of the creative directors I’ve had the privilege to collaborate with,” she said. “But it’s a coexistence of experiences, rather than of aesthetics.” The sensibilities of her mentors have been distilled into a “guerrilla project” that embodies her personal take on contemporary femininity – rigorous yet spontaneous, sensuously severe, simplified and essential with hints of audacity. Her “devotion to Made in Italy” supports an imaginative complexity of construction that doesn’t detract from a strict, almost exacting approach. There’s inventive freedom in her disciplined design, although “the leash is quite tight,” she said, “when it comes to editing and to respecting the essentiality of the ingredients of my style. I’d call it equilibrium rather than minimalism.”

In the autumn-winter 2023 collection, Leoni further honed her take on the modern wardrobe, infusing it with a sense of poised newness while staying eminently wearable. An undercurrent of Philo’s unconventional artistic classicism and of Sander’s classy purity can be felt, but the overall look is Leoni’s. The clarity of shapes is twisted with intriguing plays on cut and construction, while considered details provide each piece with edge and a unique character. “Challenging my creativity, allowing moments of discomfort to happen helps push the process towards unpredictable solutions,” the designer explained. One of the best looks in the collection – a deceptively classic skirt suit – provided a template for Leoni’s modus operandi. The masculine strong-shouldered jacket was cut in a spiral shape to accommodate the hips in a soft, almost drapey movement; the box-pleated skirt was vertical and strict, made from dense, compact wool in a severe shade of uniform-gray. “I wanted something that recalled ’50s couture, and also 18th century volumes, and to inject some unexpected folk into the silhouette,” she offered. “What I’m after – it’s style, not fashion.”

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.
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Tangible Form. Quira AW22

April 19, 2022 | Design & Culture by Ed

Veronica Leoni follows an instinctual approach to design. Her way with fashion is thoughtfully raw, direct and soulful – spontaneity is her signature. Quira, the Milan-based label, is Leoni’s solo endeavor, named after her seamstress grandmother, Quirina. The spontaneous urge of the project is sealed with a family tie, and a sentimental value is woven to the background. Quirina was the reason why Veronica Leoni’s path started. The brand captures that ever-present idea into tangible form. The autumn-winter 2022 line-up – Quira’s second collection – is lensed by Paul Kooiker and features the amazing Guinevere Van Seenus. Voluminous cocoon dresses worn over slouchy pants; thick knits in bold colours and fluffy textures you want to touch and feel; flowing, light pleats contrasted with chunky clogs (or rubber boots); draped capes layered on top of masculine tailoring and crisp cotton shirts. That’s a lot to love. But this isn’t the first time you see Leoni’s hand in fashion. Two work experiences fine tuned the designer’s aesthetic sense: first she acted as head designer of knitwear at Jil Sander, under Sander herself. After that, Leoni was head of pre-collection at Céline for four years under Phoebe Philo (well, now we know why Quira feels so good). Today she is the creative director of womenswear at 2 Moncler 1952. Milan is gradually becoming a hub for new-gen designers, and Quira is a very promising addittion!