Calvin Klein launched his first designer-jeans collection in 1978.
The collection helped move jeans from practical workwear and casual clothing into high-fashion retail. Klein’s designs used the Calvin Klein name prominently, making the brand itself part of the appeal rather than treating jeans as anonymous basics.
The launch came before the brand’s especially famous 1980 advertising campaign featuring Brooke Shields. That campaign made Calvin Klein jeans a major subject of cultural discussion, but it followed the 1978 introduction of the designer collection.
A common mix-up is to identify 1980 as the launch year. 1980 is associated with the Brooke Shields campaign, while 1978 marks the first Calvin Klein designer-jeans collection. The broader designer-jeans boom also included brands such as Gloria Vanderbilt, Jordache, and Fiorucci.