Calvin Klein was reportedly underwhelmed by Raf Simons' performance as the company's chief creative officer.
Raf Simons
The 50-year-old designer was hired by the firm amid much fanfare, but his time with Calvin Klein subsequently fell short of investor and consumer expectations - and it was recently announced that Simons would be leaving the company before the end of his contract.
An insider told the New York Post newspaper's Page Six column: "Raf spent a fortune doing up Calvin Klein's Madison Avenue flagship store, which was fine as it was.
"He also blew a stack of money building a new Paris headquarters for the brand which looked more like an art gallery.
"Plus, CK/PVH had to pony up millions to the Warhol Foundation to license the images for the 'partnership' led by Simons which was met with collective indifference by the consumer."
Simons' contract was due to expire in August 2019, but in a recent statement announcing his departure, Calvin Klein explained that it wanted to find "a new brand direction".
Despite this, both parties have refused to go into detail regarding the circumstances that led to Simons' exit.
The statement read: "Both parties have amicably decided to part ways after Calvin Klein Inc. decided on a new brand direction which differs from Simons's creative vision."
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