Calvin Klein, Inc.: Kiddie Porn Ads campaign

Barbra Brady

In the late 1970s denim went designer, due in large part to the marketing genius of American fashion designer Calvin Klein.

Calvin Klein, Inc.: Kiddie Porn Ads campaign

Barbra Brady

Overview

In the late 1970s denim went designer, due in large part to the marketing genius of American fashion designer Calvin Klein. Marketed as chic, sexy status symbols, designer jeans became a staple in the closet of the fashion-conscious consumer, who was buying not so much a pair of blue jeans as "Liz Claibornes" or "Calvin Kleins." A legendary 1980 ad campaign featuring then 15-year-old Brooke Shields in skintight designer jeans marked the beginning of what would become Klein's signature marketing style, one that went beyond sexy to sexual. Over the...

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