Fashion
They share their thoughts on their personal experiences in America.
While many (oh so many) brands are releasing voting merch ahead of the 2020 Election, Calvin Klein turned to real, actual voters to feature in its latest CK One campaign, titled "one future #ckone."
With the jeans and underwear collection's main focus on youth culture, Calvin Klein enlisted a group of subjects between the ages of 18 and 24 from all across America to showcase their hometowns and share their thoughts both on the future and the upcoming presidential election. While the American heritage brand has always had its finger on the pulse when it comes to working with young, buzzy celebrities — Evan Mock, Emma Chamberlain, and Tommy Dorfman, among many others — it's refreshing to see Calvin Klein amplify new (and then-unknown) faces and voices on such a big platform.
Seven photographers — Adraint Bereal, Brian Adams, Elliot Ross, Miranda Barnes, Rose Marie Cromwell, Shan Wallace, and Texas Isaiah — worked with the diverse group of 11 campaign stars, from indigenous Arctic activist Quannah Chasinghorse Potts, who's based in Alaska and voting for the very first time, to 21-year-old and DACA recipient Juan Paul Flores Vazquez, who moved from Mexico to California to, now, Paso, Texas, to pursue a career in filmmaking.
Of course, each individual is modeling CK One's signature basics, but the message is much bigger: A new generation is aiming for change, and is ready to make this country a better place for everyone.
Meet the people behind Calvin Klein's "one future #ckone" campaign, below.
DESTINY BATISTA, 21, BROOKLYN, NY
"Just because everyone around you isn't doing something, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't."
Destiny Batista is the youngest of six children and lives in East Brooklyn neighborhood Brownsville where she's studying for an accounting degree and working part-time at a fast-food restaurant. She and her friends spend their free time rapping and learning to freestyle at a local studio.
ALEX ARAUZ, 20, NEW YORK CITY, NY
"Whether you like it or not, it is going to impact you at some level.”
Brooklyn-born, Queens-based Alex Arauz was homeschooled and will soon attend a university in London to study fashion communications. He discovered his interest in fashion at the age of 15.
BRANDON WOODY, 22, BALTIMORE, MD
"They make us out to be so angry, so violent, so hateful. We need to normalize our vulnerability, our honesty, our sensitivity."
Baltimore-based Brandon Woody has been playing trumpet since the age of eight. He ended up studying his craft at the Brubeck Institute in California and the Manhattan School of Music in New York before dropping out and moving back to his hometown. He now teaches his art and performs around the world. His debut album with his band UPENDO is slated to drop in early 2021.
LEX BAUTISTA, 22, EL PASO, TX
"Don't be afraid to change your mind. It doesn't make you any less of what you were before. If anything, you're growing as a person."
Lex Bautista was born in California but has been living in El Paso, Texas since the age of three. They're heavily involved in their local community, advocating for the LGBTQIA+ issues, as well as immigration since their residence is an active border city.
JUAN PAUL FLORES VAZQUEZ, 21, EL PASO, TX
"I'm 21 years old, and I won't be able to vote."
Born in Mexico and raised in California, Juan Paul Flores Vasquez has been a DACA recipient since he was 16 and still does not have the right to vote. He's lived in El Paso, Texas, for the past year to pursue a career in filmmaking while working at a call center to support himself.
TONI BRAVO, 20, LONG BEACH, CA
"Something I would like to change in the world would be perspective."
Long Beach native Toni Bravo is an avid roller skater and vintage clothing reseller. She's currently studying film and also loves music and drawing.
CHRIS GOMEZ, 18, CORAL SPRINGS, FL
"We've been promised a better future for a long time. We want something more."
The Stoneman Douglas High School shooting greatly impacted Chris Gomez, who lives in Coral Springs. Ever since, he and his friends have been more involved politically.
TING TAI, 21, BALTIMORE, MD
"If I had seen more representation growing up, it would have helped me to be more comfortable with who I am today and get to where I am now faster."
Representation of marginalized groups is important to Ting Tai, who's Asian-American/Malaysian-Chinese. She grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, before moving to Baltimore with her family 13 years ago. She's currently a sophomore at Howard Community College studying environmental science.
JACE MITCHELL, 21, CROWHEART, WY
"Everyone's story is different than yours."
Crowheart, Wyoming's Jace Mitchel is a rancher and passionate about his small rural community. (He bought his first cattle at 16.) He wants to preserve ranching as much as possible for his daughter and her future.
JAWN DAVIS, 24, COMPTON, CA
"I feel like now everyone is more aware of what is really going on."
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jawn Davis aspires to be a professional skateboarder. He also taps into his creative interests through painting, upcycling thrifted clothes, and creating music.
QUANNAH CHASINGHORSE POTTS, 18, FAIRBANKS, AK
"I don't see myself as an activist. I see myself as a protector. You know, I was just protecting my way of life, practicing my ways of life, and sharing my story."
Quannah Chasinghorse Potts is Han Gwich’in from Eagle, Alaska and Oglala Lakota from the Rosebud Lakota Nation. She advocates to obtain wilderness designation (permanent protection, especially from oil development) for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. She's passionate about climate change and environmental justice and is apprenticing as a tattoo artist.
Are you ready for Election Day? Start by registering to vote and making a plan for Nov. 3.
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