Discovering Truth
From a packaging point of view, Calvin Klein has an enviable track record. The frosted, apothecary-style bottle for cK One is a design icon for its simplicity. The black bottle for cK Be, also unconventional in its simplicity, successfully extends the brand. And Contradiction is a solid follow-up to the cK line. Calvin Klein's Truth not only continues the designer's reputation for powerful fragrance packaging, but also shows his capacity for change.
Calvin Klein's success in fragrance comes from his ability to read the buying habits of consumers. "Calvin Klein has instinctively managed to capture societal trends with each fragrance launch," says Barbara Calcagni, vice president of fragrance development and marketing for Calvin Klein Cosmetics (New York City). "He has the ability to identify what is happening in the world and bottle it, bringing the emotion to life with each new fragrance. Truth Calvin Klein is no different."
The theme behind Truth is modern simplicity and sensuality in everyday life. Calvin Klein, his design team, and Fabien Baron of Baron & Baron (New York City) have translated these ideas into a bottle that is a marked departure from the apothecary bottles of cK One and cK Be. The tall bottle, made of fire-polished glass, stands at a slight tilt, yielding to a soft, rounded back that is designed to fit easily in the palm of the hand. A thin silver cap meets flush with the bottle, matching its shape - flat on the front side and curved on the back. The signature parfum rests horizontally in a Lucite cradle. Pochet (Wayne, NJ) supplied the bottle, and Risdon-AMS (Naugatuck, CT) manufactured the cap.
According to Calvin Klein, the design of the line is modern, fluid, and sensual, achieving softness through clean lines and shapes. This theme of curves and soft surfaces extends to the cartons, with their soft pearl shimmer, that house the 15-ml parfum, the 30-, 50-, and 100-ml EDPs, the body lotion, the body-oil spray, and the five oil essences. The bath luxuries products come encased in similar cartons with a deeper blush, while items in the bedtime luxuries line are packaged in cartons with a bronze finish.
The caps for the 30-, 50-, and 100-ml sprays and the 4-ml splash have outer surfaces of ABS electroplated in silver-white bronze. The inner cap is molded in and fits to a polyethylene inner fitting, providing the fit to the pump collar. The 30-, 50-, and 100-ml fragrances have low- profile pumps that feature the Crimpless system from Risdon-AMS. The anodized color of the actuator and the collar matches the color of the cap. The caps are manufactured in Risdon's facility in Marrolles, France; the pumps are manufactured in Thomaston, CT.
Launched in August 2000 in prestige stores in North America, Truth is in more than 1800 doors internationally. Global distribution was completed in February 2001.