Veronica Leoni
Creative director of Calvin Klein Collection (appointed May 2024)
Veronica Leoni is an Italian designer who was appointed creative director of Calvin Klein Collection in May 2024. Her debut in February 2025 was the brand's first runway show in seven years, and her minimalist approach draws on experience at Jil Sander, Celine and Moncler and on her own label Quira.
| Role | Creative director, Calvin Klein Collection |
|---|---|
| Appointed | May 2024 |
| Debut show | 7 February 2025, New York |
| Previously | Jil Sander, Celine, Moncler; founder of Quira |
| Nationality | Italian (born in Rome) |
Who is Veronica Leoni?
Veronica Leoni is a Rome born designer and the creative director of Calvin Klein Collection, the top tier of the American brand owned by PVH. Calvin Klein announced her appointment in May 2024, giving her responsibility for men's and women's apparel, underwear and accessories within the Collection line, reporting to global brand president Eva Serrano. She is widely seen as one of the leading voices of a renewed, practical minimalism.
Career
Before Calvin Klein, Leoni built her career at houses known for precise, quiet design. She served as head of knitwear design at Jil Sander and as head of pre collections at Celine during Phoebe Philo's tenure, and also worked at Moncler. She later founded her own ready to wear label, Quira, known for sculptural shapes, which made her a finalist for the LVMH Prize in 2023.
On her appointment she said she was "honoured to have the opportunity to write a new chapter of the Calvin Klein story". Serrano said her experience positioned her to "define a new era of Calvin Klein".
Influence on the fashion business
Leoni's first Calvin Klein Collection show took place on 7 February 2025 at the brand's historic headquarters on West 39th Street in New York. It was the first Calvin Klein runway show since Raf Simons' final collection in 2018. Coverage of the debut highlighted:
- Sculptural tailoring, including moulded trench coats
- Clean lines, high tech fabrics and an absence of prints
- References to the brand's minimalism of the 1990s and early 2000s
- A warm reception, with founder Calvin Klein calling it "Fabulous and very Calvin"
Her brief also includes bringing ideas from the Collection line into the brand's much larger mainline business and onto the red carpet.
Why it matters
Calvin Klein is one of the most valuable American fashion brand names, but most of its revenue comes from jeans, underwear and licensing rather than designer clothing. Leoni's role is to restore fashion authority at the top of that pyramid, a strategy many large brand owners use to support pricing and desirability across their portfolios. Her progress is a test of whether a high end halo line can lift a global mass market brand.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Veronica Leoni?
Veronica Leoni is an Italian designer who became creative director of Calvin Klein Collection after her appointment in May 2024. She previously worked at Jil Sander, Celine and Moncler and founded the label Quira.
When was Veronica Leoni's first Calvin Klein show?
Her debut took place on 7 February 2025 at Calvin Klein's headquarters in New York. It was the brand's first runway show since 2018.