Designer Calvin Klein may not have liked the casting of Kendall Jenner for those underwear ads, but clearly his namesake brand knew what it was doing when it enlisted the model. The celebrity-filled #MyCalvins campaign, which also featured everyone from Justin Bieber to FKA Twigs, helped boost first quarter sales for Calvin Klein as a whole on the strength of underwear alone.
According to an announcement from the brand's parent company PVH Corp., the brand has seen an increase in sales of 13 percent, which was even higher than it expected. According to Racked, PVH Corp. CEO Manny Chirico attributed the growth in the North American wholesale business to its underwear.
Chirico also said that new customers have been exposed to the brand since it began selling on Amazon and Urban Outfitters, in addition to its larger accounts like Macy's and Nordstrom.
The increase isn't a surprise considering the #MyCalvins campaign became the brand's most successful digitally driven campaign after it was rolled out in 2014, according to WWD. The racy ads have also been responsible for attracting millions of followers to its social media accounts.
The brand, known for its controversial advertising, did come under fire recently for using an up-skirt photo in the campaign. Following the backlash, the photographer and model defended the ad, but many felt Calvin Klein went too far.
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