Calvin Klein Bares It All With Reveal

Given Calvin Klein’s penchant for pushing the envelope, it’s not surprising that the house’s newest scent is called Reveal.

“It’s a great name that is linked to roots of Calvin Klein,” said Steve Mormoris, Coty’s chief marketing officer for fragrance, noting that the brand has been for decades willing to be controversial with its positioning — to reveal what other brands might shy away from. “With this scent, we are celebrating the heritage of the brand and adding an element of architectural boldness with the bottle.”

The scent, which Mormoris described as a “solar oriental with a very luminous heart,” was concocted by International Flavors & Fragrances and has top notes of raw salt signature, pink pepper, white pepper and black pepper; a heart of orris, ambergris and solar accord, and a drydown of sandalwood, cashmeran and vetiver.

Eaux de parfum sprays in three sizes — 1 oz. for $50, 1.7 oz. for $70 and 3.4 oz. for $90 — will be offered, as will a 6.7-oz. body lotion, $38; a 6.7-oz. shower gel, $30, and a 0.3-oz. rollerball, $24. The bottle features two triangular-shaped pieces — a silver-tone for the cap, the other heavy glass containing the juice — that form a pillowy square when put together.

Reveal Calvin Klein will launch in September in the U.S., in 4,291 department and specialty store doors. It will begin rolling into global doors — 130 markets in total — at the end of this month.

The print campaign was shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott and features Dutch supermodel Doutzen Kroes and British actor Charlie Hunnam in a heated embrace beside the window of a modern, glass high-rise apartment. As the sun sets behind a dusky skyline, the city is reflected in the window, suggesting a voyeuristic glimpse at a sexy game of seduction. The ad will begin running in September fashion, beauty and lifestyle books in the U.S., in addition to a comprehensive social media and digital campaign.

Kroes, who has been doing Calvin Klein campaigns for more than a decade, had a reveal of her own when she was offered the fragrance campaign: she’d just learned she was pregnant with her second child. “The name Reveal was very interesting, since I had to reveal something,” she said with a laugh. The ad was shot in January, when Kroes was about three months along, she said. She’s scheduled to give birth to a baby girl later this month.

Coty declined to discuss sales projections, but industry sources estimated that the scent could do upward of $150 million at retail globally in its first year on counter.