Cancelled CK x NewJeans Designs
A former Calvin Klein set designer shared unused 'CK bunny' design sketches that were created for a cancelled collaboration with K‑pop group NewJeans, posting images and commentary on X (x.com). The social reveal attracted more than 13,000 likes and renewed interest in unreleased brand + K‑pop partnerships (x.com).
A former Calvin Klein collaborator has published unused “CK bunny” set designs tied to NewJeans, surfacing a shelved brand project that never reached the campaign stage. (garycard.co.uk) The work appears on British designer Gary Card’s portfolio site under the label “Calvin Klein x NewJeans,” giving the unreleased concept a direct project credit rather than leaving it as fan speculation. (garycard.co.uk) The reveal landed after Calvin Klein had already made NewJeans the face of its Fall 2024 campaign on September 24, 2024, with the five members named in the company’s official announcement and global rollout. (pvh.com) That timeline matters because Calvin Klein’s later Spring 2025 campaign shifted its labeling. By February 20, 2025, campaign materials and videos were presented with the members’ individual names rather than the group name, as outside coverage and Calvin Klein’s own YouTube postings showed. (wwd.com, youtube.com) The naming change came in the middle of NewJeans’ contract fight with Ador, the Hybe subsidiary that manages the group. WWD reported on March 26, 2025, that a South Korean court ordered the members to stop “independent” activities, including advertising deals, after their attempt to split from Ador. (wwd.com) That dispute put brand partnerships under extra scrutiny because NewJeans had become one of fashion’s most active K-pop acts, with deals spanning Calvin Klein, Burberry, Celine, Dior, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent Beauty, according to WWD. (wwd.com) Calvin Klein’s relationship with the group had extended beyond standard ads before the shelved set surfaced. Billboard reported the members wore custom Calvin Klein looks for “Bunnies Camp 2024” at Tokyo Dome in June 2024. (billboard.com) The newly public sketches do not come with a formal explanation from Calvin Klein or Ador about why that specific bunny-themed concept was dropped. What is documented is that an official NewJeans campaign launched in fall 2024, a second Calvin Klein campaign followed in spring 2025 under member-name billing, and Card’s portfolio now shows at least one unused concept built around the group’s rabbit imagery. (pvh.com, wwd.com, garycard.co.uk) For fans of brand-pop collaborations, the episode leaves a paper trail of what was released and what was left behind: one official Fall 2024 campaign, one renamed Spring 2025 rollout, and one “CK bunny” concept that stayed off set. (pvh.com, youtube.com, garycard.co.uk)
