History of the Hero: Calvin Klein CK One

She lifted the bottle, pressed the nozzle, releasing two spritzes and found herself transported back in time to 1994. It was the year Calvin Klein, a brand synonymous with bold and provocative campaigns since the 1970s, introduced CK One, the first unisex fragrance with its groundbreaking tagline, "A fragrance for a man or a woman." 

CK One was crafted as a fresh, clean, and youthful scent, blending citrus, floral, and green notes to appeal to both sexes and challenge the conventional gender norms prevalent in the world of perfumery. In typical Calvin Klein fashion, the advertisement for CK One featured male and female models in various states of undress within a grunge rock ambiance, featuring iconic models of the era like Kate Moss and Stella Tennant. The campaign targeted a young, gender-fluid, and hip demographic, more connected to music and cultural trends than to conventional notions of fashion. Its minimalist packaging and marketing approach set a new standard for authenticity and simplicity in fragrance advertising. It became one of the defining scents of the ’90s, a fragrance for anyone and everyone, and it was everywhere.

CK One was among the first beauty products openly marketed as unisex, catering not only to a young, gender-fluid audience but also to individuals identifying as either male or female. It aimed to capture the essence of 90's youth culture, emphasising individuality, inclusivity, and minimalism, resonating with consumers worldwide and transcending cultural boundaries long before its time.

Its  stance on gender-neutral perfumes paved the way for other brands to explore unisex offerings. Fragrances continued to remain largely separated by gender but 30 years after the launch of CK One, unisex designer fragrances are finally solidifying their place in the industry. Not gendering scents has always been at the core of Calvin Kleins DNA.

Three decades have passed since its launch, yet the impact of CK One on the fragrance industry remains significant to this day. CK One paved the way for other brands to explore unisex offerings however no other gender-fluid fragrance has managed to captivate the industry in quite the same way as CK One. Its intentionally understated packaging, featuring a clean, minimal sans-serif font for the logo and a consistent design for its bottle and box, has remained unchanged, free from any gender-specific nuances.

Despite the span of time from its original release in 1994 to the present day, a consistent theme persists in both the inspiration behind the original CK One and Morillas' more recent creations: the notion that "fragrance has the power to evoke a sense of liberation and transcend limitations."