Even after nearly an entire decade, one pop cultural handicap remains unchanged: we still haven’t gotten over the 90s. And without any definitive or decade-specific iconography, big names, or trends to call our own, the millennial fashion community is particularly starved for a zeitgeist and a guru to helm it. But until Alexander Wang (our unofficial candidate to spark the Gen Y revolution) rises to the lofty challenge, reflecting upon the former industry glories of 90s minimalism and heroin chic will hold us over. On January 20th — Inauguration Day — that means that while we’ll celebrate the new, televised optimism of the nascent Obama era, we’ll also have one eye peeled for the commercial breaks, where the first CK One ads in fifteen years will air.
Coty Fragrances, who now oversee the Calvin Klein fragrances, say the new ads will capture the original, spare essence of the iconic, unisex fragrance while imbuing the brand’s identity with the new optimism they hope 2009 (read: Obama) will bring.
“The CK One ‘We are one’ campaign is inspired by a social movement of people coming together in the spirit of unity, connecting a diverse range of ages, races, genders, and cultures,” says Catherine Walsh, Senior Vice President of American Fragrances, Coty Prestige.
Directed by Francis Lawrence, the clips will feature “free-spirited” CK youths on a mountaintop, bursting with spontaneity, the promise of companionship, and — what else? — song. Then in February, the print versions of the ads (which we preview here) will dominate your favorite fashion and lifestyle publications.
We have to admit a new CK One campaign scores highly on our 90s nostalgia index, and we are pretty psyched to see how these turn out. Despite the campaign’s “inclusive spirit”, only one of the original Gen X CK icons, Kirsten Owen, makes an appearance. Couldn’t they get Kate?
For old time’s sake, check out the original, iconic 1995 CK One ad. Did it set an impossibly high benchmark? We’ll put our innate defeatism aside and let you decide.
