As Calvin Klein releases another of sexy men in underwear, we take a look back at their 11 sexiest, most creative, innovative and iconic campaigns.
Calvin Klein was established all the way back in 1968 by friends Barry Schwartz and ofc Calvin himself. As a brand it's had tremendous staying power, dominating the fashion world over 50 years!
Lots of people think by the name, that's CK is a German or Nordic brand, but it's based in Manhattan, New York.
Back in Spring of 2016 the fashion power house released a viral social and traditional media campaign called #MyCalvins which was hugely successful. Responding to the likes of Emporio Armani who had recruited David Beckham some years earlier, paying a reported not so small fee of £20M $25M, which had drastically increased their sales of underwear.
The My Calvins promo was huge, with Justin Bieber & Kendall Jenner heading things up on social media, but, they were not the first, nor the last celebrities to be employed to strip to their briefs for CK.
We'll look through the 11 most iconic men in Calvin Klein underwear. This is an opinion piece, so if you feel like we've missed anyones bulge off, please do comment and we could change this up.
1 - Mark Wahlberg Grabs His Bulge in 1992
Way back before Justin Bieber, quite literally 2 whole years before Bieber was even born, one young musician from Boston, USA (yes he was a singer before a movie star) stripped off to his boxer briefs for a print ad campaign.
Mark Wahlberg, known then as Marky Mark was flying high. He'd had a number 1 hit on the US Billboard Charts with the song Good Vibrations the year before in 1991. In the video for that track the Dorchester, Massachusetts first showed off his body, wearing some denim dungarees (top down) a baseball cap and oversized gold chain, all very 90's. It seems the video caught the attention of Neil Kraft who at the time was a senior exec at Calvin Klein, he commissioned the Mark ads and the rest is history.
Later speaking about the tie up, Kraft said:
"It was a really nice combination -- he (Wahlberg) appealed to women, he appealed to gay men and he appealed to men who wanted to be him," further adding:
"It all kind of worked together. And unlike Justin Bieber, he's incredibly naturally charming. And we didn't retouch him." Oh burn.
The two most memorable pictures are below.
First one above, with his baseball cap on backwards, quiffed thick hair sticking up and the biggest smile on his face letting everyone see those perfect Hollywood white teeth, Mark reaches down his legs, grabbing the bottom of his long white boxer shorts, pulling them up his thick muscled legs. The laugh as he smiles pokes his abs, an impressive 6 pack right out.
The second also above, and probably the more iconic of the two widely released into circulation is a little sexier or risqué. The singer turned actor wearing his backwards baseball cap uses right right hand to grab his bulge through his underwear, this time a pair of buttoned white boxers, while pressing down on his lips puckering up and giving a sultry and sassy look to the camera.
Following the release of the images lauded with much praise, Mark later took to the catwalk in just his pants. This is where it gets a little horny!
In the video you see Wahlberg appearing at the top of the Runway, as he walks out shirtless, wearing a very loosely fitted pair of denim jeans and a baseball cap. He starts to walk down the all white staging, camera flashing beating as fast as the pulses of those watching the show. As he continues to walk, those trousers right on cue, slip down over his bum and down his legs. Mark's bulge is really prominent in the white underwear, and he grabs it hard, moving it from side to side as the audience goes wild, he spins around to give every a 360 view of his dick and bottom. What a treat you can watch the video for yourself but it might be a little NSFW, it depends on where you work.
It wasn't all success for Calvin Klein and Mark Wahlberg however, as also in 1992 the brand came in for some criticism for their ad featuring topless British model Kate Moss.
Aged only 17 years old, standing at 170cm tall with her breasts out pressed against Mark's shirtless body, the teenage British model, who would later become one of the world's highest paid and most successful super models glared over her left shoulder into the camera. Whilst Kate was wearing white knicker briefs, the brand was criticised by some people as Moss was under 18 at the time she posed for the somewhat sexualised image.
2 - Calvin Klein goes totally Twink with Justin Bieber
After months, perhaps even years of walking around with his Calvin Klein waistband always on show, in January 2015, CK announced officially a tie up with the baby faced singer from Canada.
Biebs had previously hinted at the commercial partnership a few months earlier whilst presenting an award at the relaunch of Fashion Rocks in Brooklyn, New York.
Strutting on stage in front of a large live audience with mode and former partner of British comedian Davis Williams, Lara Stone, Justin proceeded to strip down to just his boxer briefs on stage, pulling a series of funny faces in the process. You can see some of the photos of the brunette heart throb here.
The My Calvins movement continued in a big way, as the brand turned divisively towards social media, using the Biebs and his 'Beliebers' to trend the #MyCalvins all around the world.
Did it work in business terms? You bet it did, in a BIG way! First quarter revenues jumped that year by almost $100 or 13% according to Racked thanks to the What Do You Mean singer and others with the surname Kardashian or Jenner. Coincidence? We think not.
Many a comparison were drawn between Stone-Bieber and predecessors Moss-Wahlberg, with Justin coming in for some heavy criticism, but you can't deny the deal was a success for all parties, with the brand even being applauded by Vogue.
Some shade was also thrown at long-legged super model by Justin's super fans. Outrageously the high fashion stunner who has also worked with Victoria's Secret even received multiple death threats online, scary stuff.
The TV / online video advert that was released at the same time as the imagery featured an all black and white clean looking set of visuals with JB wearing some super low cut jeans playing the drums, while Lara Stone rolled about looking effortlessly sexy before the two embrace, with Lara even rubbing her hand right across Justin's crotch! Hot stuff!
Although it's unknown if a business deal continues between the parties, you can still see Justin wearing box fresh CK's all the time on the gossip sites and in the tabloids.
3 - Calvin Klein X came along with 4 models 1/4 Hidetoshi Nakata.
Step back to 2010, the biggest selling track of the year was Eminem and Rihanna Love The Way You Lie and the actor Matt Smith played Dr. Who on TV.
When CK released the X Underwear trunks, they were said to represent the 4 elements, earth, fire, water and air (or wind). So naturally, they chose 4 different models to represent each element too.
For air they chose Asian Football sensation Hidetoshi Nakata aka "Roma's favourite Japanese son". The element of Air could not have suited the Japanese heart throb more fittingly due to the way the man just seemed to effortlessly and graciously glide from one side of the field to the other. Totting up an impressive 77 international caps for Japan for and netting 11 goals, the man has skills.
For a man who once dyed his hair an electric blonde during the 1998 World Cup for European talent scouts to notice him (which totally worked by the way) standing out was in this mans DNA. The style of the X which was a sleek new age take on CKs classic trunks in bright colours Nakata seemed like the perfect face for this bold campaign.
Taken at the age of 32 Nakata was still in the prime of his Footballing physique as he had only recently retired which you can see with his slim extremely toned body that only an athlete could possess. The greyscale photo with only the boxers coloured really accentuates his bulge and toned thighs that come from dominating world football.
The ad campaign featured short videos of each model/element and as you can see above Hidetoshi's playful and provocative side comes across as he flaunts that tight and toned football body to the camera suggestively really showing all that he has to work with whilst enticing the viewer with censored language. How cute is his accent also? Sexy stuff.
4 - Ruggedly handsome Kellan Lutz fills Calvin Klein X (2/4)
For the element of Earth, who better than the ruggedly handsome Kellan Lutz? The blond actor, model and Twilight Saga star who is known for his love of the outdoors and even performs his own stunts in the films he features in the grittiness and beauty of the man perfectly embodies the element of Earth.
Whilst Kellan wasn't the star of the multi million dollar grossing vampires film series, he certainly left an impression on many. Sure there was Jacob, who was all twinky jock right, but Emmett Cullen, he was a seriously buff blood sucker! You can count the Teen Awards to prove it.
Although being the co-star of one those most popular film series of all time the North Dakota boy has always kept himself grounded. Kellan is always looking to give back to those in less in fortunate as he has given to many charities including PETA and Saving Innocence a charity that tackles child trafficking and since become their ambassador. The hunks philanthropy and good will have not gone unnoticed as in 2013 he picked up a GQ Gentleman of the year alongside David Beckham, now there's an accolade to be proud of.
As a professional model as well as an actor it comes to no surprise that the star knows his angles and to work with the light to show off that amazing physique whilst showing off his large bulge. Wasn't there supposed to be another Twilight coming out soon!? Please? Can everyone ask Stephanie Meyer just to write a few more books featuring the ageless families.
In the accompanying video Lutz teases the viewer telling them they "can look but not touch, well okay, maybe a little" and gives a movie star wink after the cheeky comment. The man just oozes masculine charm. It is really no surprise that Lutz is rumoured to be playing He-Man in the upcoming Masters Of The Universe film because that body is absolutely godlike.
5 - Mehcad Brooks blazes in CK X 3/4
We're sure it comes as no surprise to any fan of ABC's True Blood that Mehcad Brooks was just to represent the element of fire in the Calvin Klein X shoot. For those unaware of the model and actors work the man is known for playing heart throb Benedict "Eggs" Talley in the award winning show. Well renowned for his raunchy topless scenes in the three seasons he featured Brooks had girls and guys alike salivating over those chiseled abs.
Having starred alongside Hollywood superstars such Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Kevin Hart there's no doubt that if not already, Brooks is on his way to becoming a household name. The shoot was a dream come true for the fitness advocate as he was quoted saying "I had wanted to be a Calvin Klein model since I was 17. Marky Mark in his Calvin Kleins was the epitome of male sexuality. That was something I worked for." Looks like dreams come true because they are now both on this list!
Standing at 6'4, built like a greek good with piercing brown eyes there is no doubt that Brooks is a perfect fit for the element of fire. It's almost like the designers had the Supergirl star in mind when designing the trunks as they cradle his impressive thighs and I mean, that bulge is well and truly something else in the underwear. We're going to need a fan because it's getting very hot in here.
6 - Tennis Ace Fernando Verdasco gets wet and wild in CK X
When someone says to you "incredibly handsome spanish man" Fernando Verdasco is exactly the type of man that your brain creates his from his stubble that sticks to his chiseled jaw, deep brown inviting eyes and rock hard abs that Michelangelo would have been inspired by. On top of being one the most beautiful men alive Verdasco is a sensational tennis player dazzling courts worldwide. Having have played the sport from the age of four his graceful playing style is what he's renowned for his liquid movement perfectly suits his representation of water in the X campaign. With 8 tennis titles and a participant of what many regard as the greatest tennis match of all time it's clear that Verdasco will be one of the player we will look back on as one of the greats of the sport and probably the most handsome one too.
An amazing fact that as well his on court talents is that Verdasco actually came second in Castilla Del Mancha best abs. After the jaw dropping image above we just want see whoever managed to beat him - along with their Instagram handle so we can ogle the two of them. There is much more to this man than beautiful good looks and copious amounts of talent (lucky right?) but he is also a very interesting character. At age 11 he was diagnosed with ADHD and unlike most boys his age he chose to not undergo treatment or tackle the condition with medicine, what he did was brilliant, het atckled it with Tennis and Oasis. No not the fruity beverage, the Manchester band... could he have one our british hearts any more!? Verdasco has often spoken of his love for the English rock band and once proposed that he would play a tennis match wearing headphones listening to their seminal 1994 album, 'Definitely Maybe'. He is known to use mindfulness techniques during his tennis matches, often visualizing soothing and romantic scenes to help dampen the stress of professional tennis. Another incredibly interesting fact that his brother in law is THE Enrique Inglesias, imagine Christmas dinner round theirs? To be a fly on the wall.
Following the theme of the raunchy Calvin Klein X campaign videos we see Verdasco tilting his head back and giving us a stare that just draws us in wanting more while in his sonically smooth Spanish accent asks "do you wanna see my *censored*?" Wow this man is something else and the Spanish at the end? We need to start watching more Tennis and Spanish ab competitions.
7 - Brazilian boy wonder Oscar shows off athletic body for CK
Before his big money move to China, Oscar was one of the hottest prospects on and off the pitch. His dazzling skills on the pitch wasn't the only thing getting him noticed but his dark Brazilian features and a baby face made him a very popular boy in both his native country and in the UK where he played for Chelsea FC.
The timing of the shoot was perfect, it was 2014 in simpler pre-trump times and Brazil were getting ready to host the world cup that summer. So who was a better poster child that year for the brands first ever Brazilian campaign? Shot in London for the Brazilian Market for the aforementioned #MyCalvins campaign it sent the Brazilian youth wild. At the time the ad could be seen from billboards, airports and magazines. Although the World Cup campaign in Brazil ended a disaster, CK's certainly did not.
Donning his nations colours you can see that the young footballer is a confident young man with his inviting body language and provocative gaze. His athletic body that came from years of playing from the streets of Brazil to the stadiums of Europe is boasted by the classic bold direct address that CK has become so well-renowned for. Unlike the classic greyscale images of the past the Brazil campaign opted to go for a colourful approach that really reflects the countries vibrance appealing to the South American audience.
The now DILF (that's Dad I'd Like To Fuck for those who were in anyway unsure) who had a daughter not too long after the shoot with longtime girlfriend is still seen to this day wearing his Calvin Klein boxers whilst on the pitch. Although this is against the rules he doesn't seem to care- he can't get enough of CK! Maybe we should start watching a lot more Chinese football.
8 - Jamie Dornan before the play room
The year is 2009 - The Twilight fever has spread globally and every teenager is basically wishing they were a vampire or dating one. The mass hysteria caused by the raunchy fiction novel, films and sexy stars such as Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner resulted in many creating their own stories. One of these fan fiction authors was one E L James. The trilogy inspired her to write 50 Shades Of Grey, a story of a rich business magnate Christian Grey who has let's say... unique sexual demands. The story had readers worldwide gushing over the book and envisioning what the character would like if he were to shift from adjectives to a real person.
So back in 2009 Northern Irish adonis Jamie Dornan was far more known for his modelling than his acting, I mean just look at him! Dornan
Whilst the Northern Irish heartthrob may be best known for his E. L. James penned racy books, if you haven't seen the TV drama that is The Fall, then you really must watch it.
It's true, it features scenes of Jamie Dornan naked, and his beautiful body in sex scenes, but be warned, some of the intercourse is with dead bodies. It's riveting television and I implore you watch it. There's 3 series, each better than the previous, and if you're a fan or Gillian Anderson, or perhaps yet to discover her, there's another reason to watch.
We've seen all of the Grey films, so where is Jamie's penis? Well, when asked if he did get nude on set he replied:
"There were contracts in place that said that viewers wouldn't be seeing my, um…"
Todger? The reporter interrupts. He laughs. "Yeah, my todger."
An off but fun fact about Jamie that came to light on the Grahem Norton show for the BBC is that he has huge calf muscles in his lower legs. It's apparently due to fact he walks, or bounce walks up on to his toes, something he demonstrated for the live audience if you care to YouTube it. Maybe it's those muscles that helped him book the underwear modelling job? Whilst those calves are not seen in the photos, his huge thighs / quads are, in addition to that huge bulge too.
While we were sitting on Google, we did find some nude pictures of Jamie, from a magazine published long before Jamie was known more as an actor. The publication is titled "Visionaire", and was over £1,300 for a single copy, no joke. One of the images, which was shot by super famous photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, has Jamie Dornan laying on his side on top of some silk or satin blankets, completely naked, with his soft cock touching his thigh. He looks like he's got uncut pubes, more so than the flash of hair in the film! Anyway, we can't link to these images, but if you jump on Google, you'll find them. They're quite cute and innocent, how most guys would like to think of themselves rolling around the bed naked.
So Jamie Dornan has us hot under the collar, and that's before he's opened his mouth and spoken to anyone in those dulcet tones. Who's next?
9 - A$AP Rocky rocks our world in Calvin Klein shoot
The Harlem rapper is often touted as the best dressed man in the world, but how does he fair undressed? Amazing. Rakim "A$AP Rocky" Mayers (ASAP stands for "Always Strive And Prosper", which he clearly lives by) blew onto the scene in 2011 which caught ears with a unique style of rapping but he caught even more eyes with his impeccable dress sense but more so his devilishly handsome looks. Since then it's safe to say the 30 year old is equally known for his contributions to the fashion world as he is to the music industry, he was even the first ever black man to be the face of a Dior campaign with artistic director Kristian Van Ache going on to say that Rocky embodies "the empowered masculinity of today's urban dandy". It's not just on the catwalk where Rocky has shown his talents as after years and years of looking amazing in designer clothing he clearly learned a thing or two as he has launched a collaboration with fashion power houses Guess Jeans and his influence in pop culture is so massive MTV have recruited him as creative director of MTV Labs. With a portfolio this impressive it's hard to deny that A$AP Rocky is one of the most important figures in popular culture right now - hence why Calvin Klein just had to have him involved in their recent SS19 campaign.
This man has given himself the title of "Pretty Motherfucker" throughout various songs of his career, if this was any other man we would discard him as arrogant but somehow we can let it slide with Rocky - because it's true. We just wish we were that model being drawn in by his swaggering magnetism only a hip-hop superstar could possess. Donning the white trunks for another #MyCalvins campaign you can see that slim body filling the trunk in all the right places whilst giving the lens an enticing look that would make even the most loyal of us second guess it makes us want to buy a pair just to see if we look even half as good as this beautiful man.
A$AP Rocky is one of the most unique to collaborate with Calvin Klein as due to his relationship with former lead designer Raf Simons (he's even made a song about him) Calvin Klein Jeans even made him a custom jacket to promote his latest album. On top of his modeling for their underwear campaigns Calvin Klein Denim have also shot him for their summer 2018 campaign. CK can't get enough of Rocky and I don't think we can either.
In the above video you can see Rocky performing for Calvin Klein at the Amazon fashion market in New York. It's safe to say that the New York band and New York native have taken their relationship to a level which many brands will never be able to reach. Watch this space!
10- Move over Biebs, Shawn Mendes is the new Canadian Calvin Klein golden child.
We know this one is still fresh in your minds - actually I don't think I've stopped thinking about it since. It's hard to believe that the Canada native is only 20 as it feels like the pop stud has been dominating the airwaves for a decade at least. With hits such as "Stitches" and "In My Blood" it's truly impossible escape Mendes captivating love songs from 8 to 80 it feels like everyone knows who the boy wonder is. Mendes like many of his modern pop contemporaries actually came up off of Youtube (the same place he learned to play guitar) and was racking up the kind of views that established artists with record deals would envy. Eventually Universal Island Records snagged the teen pop sensation, rightly so as his eponymous debut album reached top of the charts within 40 minutes of its release and has gone on to reach double platinum status. Mega star.
What does this boy not have? He has been blessed with the voice of an angel AND the looks of one too. At least we can just look at him? No wonder this guy has teenagers passing out at his shows and fighting each other just for the opportunity of mere eye contact with him. The shoot seemed to come out of nowhere and set social media ablaze making fans thirst over ever single detail and gaining him some new ones as well. One social media user even went on to say "would like to thank every gay man on twitter for sharing and retweeting every Sean Mendes Calvin Klein ad several times, you are doing the lords work and we appreciate you." We really couldn't have worded it better. Fans are now even scouring the world to see how many billboards of the ad they can find, Calvin Kleins marketing department must be having a field day.
The image has since gather over 8 million likes on Instagram and it's all people have been able to talk about since... we don't like to speak to soon but we're getting Mark Wahlberg iconic level vibes already.
11 - Ah heck, let's throw in 1 girl too, after all Calvin Klein has built its success on its multisex appeal.
We have chosen to include the stunning Joan Smalls and who can blame us the woman is a literal goddess. Joan Smalls is one of the most infamous models in the game and anyone who knows anything about fashion and models knows that Smalls is the real deal. Born Joan Smalls Rodriguez in Purto Rico to parents of West Indian, Irish, Southeast Asian and Puerto Rican heritage the supermodel is more than just a pretty face as she also has a degree in Psychology. After graduating Smalls went to NYC like the millions of other of aspiring models and like the plight of all those supermodel wannabes the jorney wasn't easy for her. She originally signed to Elite Model Management in 2007 focusing on shoots after moderate success she then found her true calling; the runway. In 2009 she was signed by the infamous IMG Models and in no time she was doing runway shows being the first Latina model to model for Givenchy. The French fashion house liked her so much they even made her an exclusive model.
With all her industry clout and Smalls being regarded as one of the greatest super models of all time it was only fitting that she entered into the Calvin Klein hall of fame. This woman was born to model underwear it seemed as she has been on the coveted Victorias Secret runway a staggering SIX times. So in 2015 CK enlisted her for their "original sexy" campaign alongside newcomer Kendall Jenner. The campaign couldn't have been more fitting for Smalls as both her and the brand being so established well and truly are the original sexy. This ad was iconic for many reasons as it was amazing how this was Smalls first campaign for the brand alongside the newcomer Kendall Jenner and we're sure you saw this one from billboards to your local shopping centre.
Calvin Kleins ability to appeal to both men and women was really highlighted in this campaign as you can see in the above image that the only difference in the styles are that the chiselled adonis is in the traditional boxer and Smalls in the feminine brief but the style remains the same. Calvin Klein continue to dominate the market with their basic yet sexually alluring underwear because it appeals to absolutely everyone.