American Folk Art Museum to Honor Raf Simons for Calvin Klein Quilts
The museum appreciates the designer’s take on Americana.
Raf Simons‘s sweeping reimagining of Calvin Klein has yielded items emblazoned with Looney Tunes characters and saturated with Western photographs, all guided by Simons’s reimagining of Americana style. At the core of every collection are various quilts and knits, with patterns steeped in American tradition — occasionally they proclaim “Designed in America” to affirm the patriotic inspiration.
The American Folk Art Museum has paid attention, and will honor Simons at its annual benefit gala to highlight the importance of a famous designer like Simons keeping traditional craft alive. “Raf Simons is one of the world’s most influential designers,” said Monty Blanchard, president of the board of trustees at AFAM. “His focus on American quilts shines a light on a potent art form that the American Folk Art Museum has long collected, exhibited and championed.” Along with the seasonal quilt designs, Simons and his team curated a collection of vintage American quilts that hang in the Madison Avenue Calvin Klein flagship, cementing their influence on the brand.
The event is scheduled for October 2, the day before the museum wraps up its “Handstitched Worlds: The Cartography of Quilts” exhibit in Long Island City.
Most recently, the CALVIN KLEIN JEANS sublabel introduced an affordable take on the chunky dad sneaker.