Francisco Costa and Italo Zucchelli Out At Calvin Klein Collection

Calvin Klein plans to unite its brands under one creative vision following the departure of Francisco Costa, women’s creative director for Calvin Klein Collection, and Italo Zucchelli, men’s creative director of the label.

The company said it will make an announcement “in due course” about its new creative head, who will direct all categories of business. The announcement fuels speculation that Raf Simons, former creative director at Christian Dior, will join Calvin Klein as sole creative director.

Rumors surfaced earlier this year that Simons would join Calvin Klein, but industry sources believe that he has a noncompete agreement with LVMH, Dior’s owner, until sometime this summer.

“This creative strategy marks the beginning of another significant chapter in Calvin Klein’s brand legacy since Mr. Klein’s retirement,” said Steve Shiffman, CEO of Calvin Klein Inc., in a statement released today. “I would like to thank Francisco and Italo for their unwavering commitment to the Calvin Klein brand and their accomplishments over the past decade. They have both contributed immensely to making Calvin Klein a global leader in the fashion industry, and they have done so with dedication, focus and creativity.”

The game of musical chairs continues among top designers. Most recently, Hedi Slimane said earlier this month he would step down from Saint Laurent, after a memorable three-year tenure.