Calvin Klein said Thursday that Veronica Leoni will leave her post as creative director of Calvin Klein Collection at the end of her current contract, ending weeks of market speculation, as reported by WWD and Vogue Scandinavia.

Both outlets quote global brand president David Savman thanking Leoni for her "creative vision, commitment and partnership over the past two years," while confirming that a new Collection creative leadership will be revealed "in due course."

Leoni was appointed in May 2024, debuted in February 2025 for fall 2025 — marking the label's return to the runway after a seven-year hiatus following Raf Simons's 2018 departure — and showed her fourth and final collection in September 2026. She was the first woman to lead the house.

The surprise, per the pack, is that Leoni was leaving at the high point of her run.

WWD called her spring 2026 follow-up a "standout" and wrote that her spring 2027 collection was "distinctively more evolved and elevated in fabric and silhouette," centered on the founder's '90s sportswear and minimalist archive.

According to WWD, Calvin Klein ranked first in social engagement during New York Fashion Week with a 15.3 million ListenFirst score, up 552 percent versus the prior February's show, drawing Rosalía, Sadie Sink, Pamela Anderson and others to the front row — where founder Calvin Klein himself had appeared at her debut alongside Kate Moss and Christy Turlington.

The evidence reviewers point to is commercial, not critical. WWD quotes Robert Burke of Robert Burke Associates: "I think she was improving but better isn't enough," noting that retailers never responded — he says he doesn't know any major department store that carried the Collection.

WWD also reports that none of the stores it surveyed listed Calvin Klein among their favorite collections during New York Fashion Week. Julie Gilhart tells WWD she is saddened, arguing "talent needs time to evolve; there is no plug-and-play."

Hilldun's Gary Wassner tells WWD the brand needs "someone young like a Peter Do." Meanwhile, WWD reports Calvin Klein revenues fell 7 percent to $913.3 million in PVH's second quarter.

Both outlets frame Collection as still central: Calvin Klein said it "remains an important part of Calvin Klein's long-term strategy and the pinnacle expression of the brand." For Leoni, her own label Quira, paused on her appointment and a 2023 LVMH Prize finalist, may get another go.