What Calvin Klein does

Calvin Klein is a global American fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 1968 in New York City by designer Calvin Klein, currently operating as a wholly-owned brand of PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH) following PVH's acquisition in 2003 for approximately $400 million. The brand offers a unified portfolio spanning men's, women's, and kids' apparel, underwear, accessories, footwear, fragrance, and home goods (bedding and bath), with a premium runway sub-brand called Calvin Klein Collection positioned at higher price points.

The company's core technology and channel stack centers on direct-to-consumer distribution through an owned e-commerce platform (calvinklein.us) built on Salesforce Commerce Cloud (Demandware), supplemented by owned physical retail stores accessible via a store locator. The product catalog is organized by gender (Women, Men, Kids) and lifestyle category (Underwear, Apparel, Home), with deep specialization in underwear via sub-lines such as Icon Cotton Stretch, Icon Cotton Modal, Perfectly Fit, Invisibles, CK Black, and Ultra Soft. The company also operates the My Calvin Rewards loyalty program to drive repeat purchase and retention.

Calvin Klein's revenue model is unit-based retail pricing on apparel, underwear, accessories, footwear, fragrance, and home goods, augmented by tiered promotional discounts (Extra $25 off every $100 spent up to $500, 30-60% off sitewide, up to 70% off sale items) and a $75 free-shipping threshold. Marketing is multi-channel, including content on the e-commerce site, email, paid digital advertising, organic social, and seasonal campaigns (Back to Campus, Summer Sale, The Office Edit). Customer segments are consumer personas (Women, Men, Kids) plus use-case segments (Calvin Klein Collection, Home), with no named enterprise customers and revenue derived from a broad base of individual consumers.

Name

Calvin Klein

Legal name

Calvin Klein (US)

Website

https://calvinklein.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Calvin Klein is an iconic American fashion and lifestyle brand founded in 1968, owned by PVH Corp, offering apparel, underwear, accessories, footwear, fragrance, and home goods to men, women, and kids through owned DTC e-commerce and retail stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Designer Apparel

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110), Shoe Retailers (4582), Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651), Women's, Misses', Children's & Infants' Undergarments (2340), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury & Designer Apparel Houses (CRAAAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Streetwear & Contemporary Apparel Retail (CRAAABAM), Luxury Fashion (Ready-to-Wear & Couture) (CRAKAFAE), Luxury & Designer Footwear (CRAAACAI), Luxury Leather Goods & Handbags (CRAKAFAB)

Keywords

• Designer apparel
• Premium underwear
• Fashion accessories
• Lifestyle brand
• Fragrance products

Headquarters

HQ city

New York, New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Apparel and Accessories Sales: Calvin Klein generates revenue through the sale of apparel, underwear, accessories, footwear, and fragrance products for women, men, and kids through direct-to-consumer channels including e-commerce and retail stores.
2. Premium Collection: The Calvin Klein Collection represents a premium/luxury runway line with higher price points, sold alongside the main brand line.
3. Home Products: Home goods including bedding, bath products, and linens sold through the same e-commerce and retail channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Calvin Klein designs, produces, and sells branded apparel, underwear, accessories, footwear, fragrance, and home goods for women, men, and kids through its own US e-commerce storefront and physical retail stores. The brand operates a premium sub-brand, Calvin Klein Collection, offering runway-inspired luxury pieces, alongside the main line at accessible luxury price points.

Product overview

Calvin Klein is a fashion and lifestyle brand offering a unified portfolio of apparel, underwear, accessories, footwear, fragrance, and home goods. The core offering spans men's, women's, and kids' categories, with underwear and apparel as primary product lines. The brand operates a premium sub-brand (Calvin Klein Collection) featuring runway-inspired luxury pieces, and a loyalty program (My Calvin Rewards). Specialized underwear collections include Icon Cotton Stretch, Icon Cotton Modal, Ultra Soft, CK Black, Perfectly Fit, and Invisibles, each targeting specific comfort and style preferences. The company also maintains a Home collection for bedding and bath products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Calvin Klein Collection: Premium/luxury line featuring high-end apparel, accessories, and runway pieces.

Products and services

• Calvin Klein Underwear Core underwear line for men and women including boxer briefs, trunks, briefs, jock straps, thongs, boxers, undershirts, bras (bralettes, triangle, full coverage, strapless, push-up), and panties (thongs, bikinis, hipsters, boyshorts, briefs), targeting consumers seeking quality everyday basics with the brand's signature minimalist design.
• Calvin Klein Women's Apparel Full range of women's clothing including T-shirts, tanks, sweaters, shirts, dresses, jeans, shorts, skirts, pants, jackets, sweatshirts, sweatpants, loungewear, sleepwear, activewear, and swimwear, targeting female consumers seeking modern, minimalist fashion essentials.
• Calvin Klein Men's Apparel Complete men's clothing collection featuring T-shirts, shirts, polos, sweaters, jeans, shorts, pants, jackets, sweatshirts, sweatpants, loungewear, sleepwear, suiting, activewear, and swimwear, targeting male consumers seeking modern, minimalist fashion essentials.
• Calvin Klein Accessories Accessories for men and women including bags, wallets, small goods, sunglasses, watches, jewelry, belts, hats, and socks.
• Calvin Klein Shoes Footwear collection for women (sandals, slides, sneakers, flats, heels, boots) and men (sneakers, sandals, slides, dress shoes).
• Calvin Klein Fragrance Perfume and cologne products for men and women.
• Calvin Klein Collection High-end luxury line featuring runway-inspired apparel, accessories, footwear, and underwear for men and women, including seasonal collections (Fall/Spring). Targeted at fashion-conscious consumers seeking exclusive designer pieces, excluded from sitewide promotional discounts.
• Calvin Klein Kids Children's clothing and underwear lines for girls and boys from toddler to teen sizes, including apparel, underwear, and suiting options.
• Calvin Klein Home Home goods collection including bedding (duvet covers, comforters, blankets, sheets, bedding sets) and bath products (towels, bath accessories), extending the brand lifestyle into home environment.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Hugo Boss: Global designer fashion house with comparable suiting, menswear, womenswear, and accessories offerings positioned similarly between contemporary and accessible luxury.
• Tommy Hilfiger: Sister brand under PVH Corp (NYSE: PVH) targeting the same contemporary/premium apparel customer across men's, women's, and kids' categories with a similar DTC and wholesale model.
• American Eagle Outfitters: Mall-based apparel retailer competing in similar denim, underwear, and casual apparel categories with overlapping demographic targets and DTC channels.
• J.Crew: American contemporary apparel brand competing in the same men's, women's, and kids' categories with a comparable DTC-led, accessible-premium positioning.
• Victoria's Secret: Direct competitor in women's intimates, bras, panties, and loungewear, with similar DTC-heavy model, loyalty program, and brand-led marketing approach.
• Guess: American lifestyle brand selling apparel, denim, and accessories with a similar accessible-luxury positioning and DTC-plus-wholesale channel mix.
• Ralph Lauren: Iconic American designer lifestyle brand operating in the same premium apparel, accessories, and home categories with overlapping DTC and wholesale channels.
• Michael Kors: American accessible-luxury fashion brand with overlapping product categories (apparel, footwear, accessories) and a similar premium-designer positioning.
• Calvin Klein (CK brand competitive set — Hanesbrands innerwear division): Hanesbrands competes directly with Calvin Klein in men's and women's underwear basics through Champion, Hanes, and Bonds, with overlapping mass and mid-tier distribution.

Broad incumbents

• PVH Corp: Publicly traded parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger; relevant as the corporate owner that allocates capital and strategy across the broader portfolio including Calvin Klein.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calvin-klein

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Calvin Klein