CK One

1994 CitrusEDTUnited States

Where to find it

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Editorial notes

01
A clean citrus-musk that openly marketed unisex perfumery to a mass audience for the first time, the manifesto of the 1990s transparent style.
02
Generated over $5 million in sales in its first ten days and roughly $90 million annually by the mid-1990s, a then-record for any fragrance launch.
03
Kate Moss appeared in Steven Meisel's black-and-white CK One launch campaign, alongside a multi-gender group cast that defined the decade's androgynous aesthetic.
04
Composed by Alberto Morillas and Harry Fremont in 1994 in a frosted apothecary flacon resembling a flask of vodka, with a screw-on aluminum cap.

Dossier

Edition · 000

Status · Active.

A clean citrus-musk unisex.

Composed by: Alberto MorillasHarry Fremont
Founder: Calvin Klein
Country: United States

The pyramid

Top: bergamotlemonmandarinpineapplecardamompapaya
Heart: jasminevioletroseorrislily-of-the-valleynutmeg
Base: musksandalwoodcedaramberoakmoss

The brief

Klein wanted a deliberately transparent, gender-neutral scent inspired by 1990s grunge-era youth culture.

Name'CK One' positioned the scent as a single fragrance for everyone, one bottle for him and her.

Why it mattered

First prestige fragrance openly marketed as unisex to a mass audience, defining the 1990s clean/transparent style

The flacon

Frosted apothecary-style bottle resembling a flask of vodka, with a screw-on aluminum cap.

Worn by

Kate Moss1994
Appeared in Steven Meisel's iconic black-and-white CK One launch campaign in 1994.

Footnotes

CK One generated over US $5 million in sales in its first 10 days and roughly US $90 million annually by the mid-1990s.

The Curator's Note

The first perfume that knew Gen X had a budget.

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