Skip to Content

The History Of Calvin Klein's Provocative Ads

The brand has been raising eyebrows for nearly four decades

By Jonathan Evans

Calvin Klein just released its advertising campaign for autumn/winter 2016 and, if you ask us, it just might strike the perfect balance between considerable star power and the provocative image that has become a central part of the brand's DNA.

But before you go thinking overtly sexualised campaigns are a recent development, let's take a look back at the archives. Because Calvin Klein and sex have been bedfellows since the company launched nearly four decades ago, with the brand's ad campaigns have been ruffling feathers since the start.

From Brooke Shields not allowing anything to come between her and her Calvins, to a naked Kate Moss, to Kendall Jenner's strangely eroticised grapefruit, here's the history of Calvin Klein's controversial ads.

Kate Moss and Mark Wahlberg, 1992

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Kate Moss, who was called too skinny in her (mostly naked) Nineties ads for the brand.

Kate Moss and Mark Wahlberg, 1992

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

She was also cavorting with a similarly topless man known, at the time, as Marky Mark.

Mark Wahlberg, 1992

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Kate Moss, 1993

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

And then there were those iconic Obsession cologne ads, which featured Moss once more.

Kate Moss, 1993

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

They weren't exactly covered up.

Kate Moss, 1993

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

As you can see.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Kate Moss, 1993

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

They were very naked.

Kate Moss, 1993

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Funnily enough, the underwear ads during that same period were tame by comparison. Though you don't technically need to be wearing clothing to sell fragrance, and it does make sense to show the underwear itself. Mystery solved.

Christy Turlington, 1995

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

By the mid 90s, Moss had moved on and Christy Turlington took up the mantle of Calvin Klein underwear model.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Christy Turlington, 1995

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

We presume no one had any problems with this.

Christy Turlington, 1995

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

She was also the face of the iconic Eternity fragrance campaign, alongside the model Mark Vanderloo.

1995

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

But it wasn't all classy black-and-white portraiture. In fact, one Calvin Klein jeans campaign seemed like it was actively designed to court controversy. This shot is part of a larger collection of photos, all with the same grainy, wood-panelled aesthetic. It's salacious, but it's nothing compared to the ads that ran on TV, which had people accusing the company of glorifying child pornography.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Eva Mendes, 2008

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Flash forward to the 2000s: the era for more celebrity nudity. This time, Eva Mendes took the spotlight in a campaign for the brand's Secret Obsession perfume, which features her rolling around on a bed completely naked. It was banned from US networks for being too controversial.

2009

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

If a lone, nude Eva Mendes isn't for you, how about five scantily clad models on a couch?

Lara Stone, 2011

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Stone took over in 2011 for this provocative – and somewhat spooky – campaign.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Christy Turlington, 2013

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Look who's back? It's difficult to believe that Turlington is nearly 20 years older here than she was in her original Calvin Klein campaigns.

Christy Turlington, 2014

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

This is probably why the label did another Eternity ad with her, in which she posed with her husband Ed Burns.

Lara Stone, 2014

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Here's Lara Stone again.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Justin Bieber, 2015

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Were Bieber's pecs photoshopped? Some say so.

Justin Bieber and Lara Stone, 2015

this image is not available
Bear Grylls//Digital Spy

Bieber and Stone in a compromising position.

From: Esquire US
Watch Next
 
preview for Esquire UK - Featured Videos
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Culture

a man wearing a hat

Is “Doomslang” Making Us All Numb?

euphoria season 3

Everything We Know About ‘Euphoria’ Season 3

best tv shows 2024

The Biggest TV Shows of 2024

3 body problem

‘3 Body Problem’ Series 2 Has a $160 Mill Problem

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below