Calvin Klein's Costa stirring more attention

18.05.12

NEW YORK (AP) — Francisco Costa has waited — patiently — to make his big splash.

He jumped in as creative director for womenswear at Calvin Klein with both feet when he was handpicked by Klein almost a decade ago, but he's been a behind-the-scenes player, slowly, steadily building up his portfolio and profile while staying true to the house's DNA of minimalist, modern design.

He has scored some big awards, including twice being named best women's designer by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and winning a national design award from the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt Museum. He's also had some memorable red-carpet moments — Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lawrence wore his designs at last year's Oscars and Emily Blunt was dressed in Calvin Klein at the Met Gala last week — just to name a few. Still, he doesn't make a lot of noise, and he doesn't generate the gossipy whisper campaigns that the fashion crowd often eats up.

When Costa took over, there wasn't the industry intrigue that surrounded the recent appointments of Raf Simmons at Christian Dior or Hedi Slimane at Yves Saint Laurent, although in the world of American fashion, Calvin Klein is one of the best-known pioneering names. Beyond some mixed reviews early on, there hasn't been the succession struggle that has occurred at other venerable U.S. houses such as Bill Blass or Halston.

Source: The Associated Press