FX’s ‘Love Story’ is trending. Can Calvin Klein capitalize?

What happened The FX series Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette has thrust Calvin Klein back into the heart of fashion conversation. Inspired by Elizabeth Beller’s 2024 biography Once Upon a Time: The Captivating Life of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, the show charts the real-life romance between JFK Jr. and the woman who became his wife — and its reach on social media has been striking. On Xiaohongshu (also known as RedNote), the hashtags “AmericanLoveStory” (美国爱情故事) has accumulated 1.73 million views, “CarolynBessette” (卡罗琳贝塞特) 1.87 million, and “JohnKennedy” (小肯尼迪) 4.89 million. The couple were the most high-profile celebrity pair of the 1990s. The son of a former U.S. president, JFK Jr. was dubbed “America’s prince” by the press. His wife, Carolyn Bessette, had worked her way up to director of publicity at Calvin Klein — and the show depicts her as the person who first championed the then-unknown Kate Moss for a brand campaign, a pivotal moment in the supermodel’s rise. It is this backstory that creates a rich link between the series and fashion. As the narrative unfolds, Carolyn’s CK history, her 1990s aesthetic, and her deep ties to the brand pull Calvin Klein back into the public eye — raising a pressing question for the company: is this wave of nostalgia merely a fleeting cultural moment, or a genuine opportunity to reclaim its position in high fashion? The Jing Take Calvin Klein and his childhood friend Barry Schwartz founded Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. Over the following decades, the brand built its business around two pillars: denim and underwear. On the marketing front, CK mastered the art of turning products into cultural events. In 1980, a 15-year-old Brooke Shields starred in a Calvin Klein Jeans campaign, delivering the now-iconic line: “You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” The ad sparked controversy for its suggestive tone — but it propelled the brand into the mainstream and cemented a marketing playbook built on provocation. CK was also among the first designer labels to elevate denim onto the runway, stripping jeans of their workwear associations and placing them at the center of the fashion system. In 1982, a billboard stopped pedestrians at New York’s Times Square. Olympic pole vaulter Tom Hintnaus appeared wearing only a pair of white briefs, announcing CK’s first men’s underwear line. Photographer Bruce Weber’s image — shot on Santorini — was later named one of the “10 Pictures That Changed America” by American Photographer. Men’s underwear, long a taboo subject in advertising, was simultaneously destigmatized and imbued with desire, transformed from a household staple into a statement garment. In 1992, the brand cast the then-unknown Moss alongside Mark Wahlberg in a black-and-white underwear campaign. Raw, provocative, and instantly iconic, the ads generated both controversy and fervent acclaim. The campaign cemented Moss’s rise to supermodel status and elevated CK underwear from functional garment to cultural symbol. This period is revisited throughout Love Story. In one early episode, the show depicts Bessette encouraging Calvin Klein to hire Moss for a campaign — framing her as a key talent-spotter within the brand. Later episodes revisit the theft of an “Obsession” perfume poster from a city billboard, and a conversation between the designer and Carolyn about the fame it generated. Whatever the historical accuracy, these details place CK at the narrative center of the series. Can CK reclaim the center ground? This era of creativity-driven marketing did not last. PVH (Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation) acquired Calvin Klein in 2003 and has overseen the brand’s global operations ever since, keeping underwear and denim as its most commercially valuable lines. According to PVH’s Q3 2025 results, both categories continue to generate stable revenue — but the cultural authority CK wielded in the 1990s has long since faded. The brand has attempted to address that gap. In May 2024, it appointed Veronica Leoni as Creative Director of Calvin Klein Collection, ending a five-year runway hiatus following Raf Simons’ departure. Leoni — whose résumé spans Jil Sander, Céline under Phoebe Philo, and The Row — showed her debut collection at New York Fashion Week in February 2025, leaning into modern minimalism, precise tailoring, and everyday wearability. The critical reception was respectful. Mass-market buzz, however, remains limited. Meanwhile, CK’s positioning problem persists — and it is particularly acute in China. Observers point to a lack of clear positioning — it can neither move fully upmarket nor adapt downward for the mainstream. PVH’s Q1 2025 results showed a notable decline in Asia-Pacific, with China disproportionately affected by a sluggish consumer environment. The brand’s appearance at the 8th China International Import Expo later in 2025 signaled a renewed push into the market. Love Story has opened a nostalgia window that CK has rarely had access to in recent years. The story of “America's last royal couple” allows a new generation to encounter the brand’s 1990s cultural weight at an emotionally charged moment. That attention is an asset — but it is also a test. Today’s fragrance market has dozens of unisex entries. Minimalist aesthetics are no longer CK’s exclusive territory. And in an era of content overload, nostalgia alone does not rebuild premium positioning. The question is whether CK can convert this moment into something structural: a coherent brand narrative that bridges its iconic past and Leoni’s emerging vision. The answer is not yet clear. But the window, for now, is open. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

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FX’s ‘Love Story’ is trending. Can Calvin Klein capitalize?