The Designer Interview: Veronica Leoni
As the new creative director of Calvin Klein Collection, VERONICA LEONI is setting out to redefine the iconic New York brand. Here, the Roman designer talks to GILLIAN BRETT about her debut FW25 collection for the legendary fashion house, the complexity (and occasional messiness) behind her trademark minimalism, and the doting grandmother who taught her everything she knows
“I partied with my friends, and they actually came just in underwear – they got undressed before entering my apartment,” Veronica Leoni tells me with a laugh that lights up her entire face, as she describes how she celebrated becoming the new creative director of Calvin Klein Collection. It seems a pretty apt way to mark her new chapter at the brand renowned for its provocative underwear campaigns in the ’90s. Long before brands vied to go viral, Calvin Klein’s era-defining campaigns were stolen from bus kiosks and banned by TV networks. Klein’s designs were novel, too, but in their simplicity. “When you strip away embellishment, there is little to distract the eye,” he wrote in his 2017 Rizzoli book.
Calvin Klein’s minimalism is the fashion gift that keeps on giving. The effortless chic of the women who wore it back then – chief among them being Kate Moss and Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy (the brand’s then-publicist and unofficial face) – still dominate our social media feeds more than 30 years later. What was once New York Fashion Week’s hottest ticket, however, has been, as Leoni affectionately puts it, “a sleeping beauty” in recent years. Leoni is the first ever female creative lead for Collection, the brand’s runway line, and her aim is to “claim back what has always been Calvin’s… And to bring it into today, avoiding a nostalgic approach; to be totally projected into the future.”
Her debut collection for fall/winter ’25 was shown in February at Calvin Klein’s longtime New York HQ, with Klein, now 82, seated on the front row. Kate Moss, Christy Turlington (another frequent face of the brand back in its heyday), Greta Lee and FKA Twigs were also in attendance. What emerged was a sophisticated, tailoring-focused collection that will instantly appeal to grown-up minimalists. The ones who wore the brand’s slinky slip dresses with a spritz of CK One on a night out in the ’90s will recognize the evolution of the brand’s aesthetic and appreciate its sleek suits for the office. Meanwhile, a new customer can enjoy this fresh chapter for the brand under Leoni’s exacting eye. Where tailoring of late has leaned on loose and languid proportions, Leoni is striding her own path with neatly cut silhouettes: broad shoulders, narrow waist, slim pants. And, it must be said, beautifully cut. Leoni called the collection Monumental Minimalism: “I want to try to capture a little bit of the complexity that is behind an apparently simple object,” she says.
“It’s been very inspiring to see women being able to build up an empire on their own with such integrity and with such great ambition
”Veronica Leoni
The coats were a particular highlight, whether worn alone to show off their sheer precision or swaddled in wool and cashmere-blend capes that make dressing in the cooler months a pleasure. The single item Leoni plucked from the archive was a chic square-toed, slingback ballerina flat – an evolution on the silhouette we’ve come to rely so heavily on in 2025 – and one you’ll soon be spotting everywhere. She also reinterpreted the CK One perfume bottle as an evening bag in a playful nod to its once-cult status. For eveningwear, gone are the barely-there slip dresses and in their place are sweeping columns dresses with a more subtle sensuality. The first to take its turn on the red carpet was the strapless, black wool ‘Beatrix’ corset dress (designed to reveal a cream cotton under-layer), which Oscar-winning actor Mikey Madison wore to the Independent Spirit Awards, where she scooped the Best Lead Performance award for her turn in Anora.
“You need to make sure that the design is very strong because otherwise you end up being pretty generic – and minimalism becomes simplistic
”Veronica Leoni
Leoni’s resume reads like the ultimate luxe-minimalism training camp. Having cut her teeth at Jil Sander, she went on to work at Celine under Phoebe Philo, and The Row. She also had her own label, Quira, which she’s paused for now. Leoni is part of an impressive group of Celine alumni that includes Michael Rider (now creative director of the brand), Matthieu Blazy (creative director of Chanel), and Daniel Lee (chief creative officer of Burberry). “We’ve seen each other taking space and growing our influence in the industry – it makes me so proud for all of us. We all studied [at Celine] but, of course, everyone brings their own personality, and you can recognize Dan in his collection, you can totally see Michael in his, and I’m sure we’ll see Matthieu in his new one.”
Moreover, Leoni is part of a minority cohort of female designers leading major luxury brands, and she says her time working at female-led houses has helped shape her own approach to leadership. “Phoebe [Philo] was doing a proper revolution on the female wardrobe. It was very unconventional; there was no Instagram for Celine at the time. We had no e-commerce, so we really were the outsiders. I think that was what was special about Phoebe – always being the outsider despite having so many devoted people around her,” reflects Leoni. “Mary-Kate and Ashley [Olsen], the work ethic they brought to the table [at The Row] was fantastic; it was astonishing to see. It’s been very inspiring to see women being able to build up an empire on their own with such integrity and with such great ambition.”
Jil Sander was Leoni’s ‘big break’, and for that reason she’s held onto the white crepe de chine shirt she wore for her 7:30am interview with Sander (“I met her in the morning, and I signed my contract at midday”) – as a talisman and reminder of where it all began. Going further back, Leoni grew up on the outskirts of Rome. Her parents ran a bar in the city, so she spent a lot of time with her seamstress grandmother. “My introduction to fashion has been the most humble in a way – it was not through a super posh atelier, but in the way my grandma used to play with me. My time with her was crocheting or knitting or helping cut a little pattern or making a skirt together. In that sense, the culture of making – we now call it fashion but for me it was not even a word at the time.” Nowadays, Leoni resides in Rome with her wife, a film-casting director, traveling frequently back and forth to New York.
Those formative years, handcrafting with her grandmother, have no doubt led to Leoni’s obsession with product; shape, cut and fabric are crucial. Her top priority when she joined the brand was to make sure that the best factories and patternmakers she’d met throughout her career were on board. “You need to make sure that the design is very strong because otherwise you end up being pretty generic – and minimalism becomes simplistic. You really want to protect the complexity that is behind the product, so you cannot miss that stage if you want to practice that purity and that very unadorned beauty,” she says, echoing her predecessor. “And then of course, there’s a moment of extravaganza, a moment of twist that comes from the way you put the clothing together.”
“I’ve always admired Veronica’s unwavering attention to detail, craft and workmanship
”Stylist Jane How
Leoni worked with renowned stylist Jane How to help bring her designs together into a cohesive and ultra-desirable wardrobe for her New York Fashion Week show. “I’ve always admired Veronica’s unwavering attention to detail, craft and workmanship,” says How. “And the coherence of her vision, which moved towards a deeper exploration of character, carefully reimagining who the modern Calvin Klein woman might be. Leoni is uncompromising in her clarity of vision, yet equally generous in the way she invites dialogue. As a stylist, I regard it as a privilege to work in an environment where ideas are not only welcomed, but strengthened through conversation and care.”
The creative director also called upon hair stylist Guido Palau and makeup artist Diane Kendal – both longtime Calvin Klein collaborators – to further bring to life this image of who the Calvin Klein woman is now. “Calvin was very into enhancing a woman or man’s natural beauty. It never felt heavy-handed, and I feel Veronica has the same hand with beauty,” says Palau. “She has strong opinions but she’s sensitive and has a great emotion about her, her clothes, her designs. She’s a great match for the brand and I really enjoy working with her.”
Leoni is a Taurus. Those born under this sign are said to be patient, practical and known for their sensuality, love of beauty and strong work ethic. “I read my star sign every day,” she confides. “Let me tell you what it said today: ‘Don’t punish yourself for making a mess’. So, that means I can make a bit of mess today,” she laughs. Chaos seems contradictory to all the rigor and perfection of her designs, and with that is a refreshing reminder that art and life can be messy and imperfect and, ultimately, very beautiful.