"If I allow journalists to describe a collection and they make mistakes, I'm upset, because the retractions are never noticed"
About this Quote
The subtext is a wary truce with journalism. Designers need coverage to manufacture desire at scale, but that coverage can flatten intention into trend-speak or, worse, mislabel the work in ways that stick. Klein's brand, famously built on stark minimalism and calibrated provocation, depends on precise meaning: the difference between "clean" and "cold", "sexy" and "cheap", "modern" and "clinical" is the difference between cultural dominance and backlash. When a journalist gets it wrong, the designer doesn't just lose a point in an argument; he loses authorship.
Contextually, it’s also a pre-social-media era lesson that still holds. Before designers could post the show, explain the concept, and flood the feed themselves, print critics had outsized power as gatekeepers. Klein is naming a structural unfairness: the correction may exist, but attention has already moved on, and reputations don't get refunds.
Quote Details
| Topic | Writing |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Klein, Calvin. (2026, January 18). If I allow journalists to describe a collection and they make mistakes, I'm upset, because the retractions are never noticed. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-allow-journalists-to-describe-a-collection-13461/
Chicago Style
Klein, Calvin. "If I allow journalists to describe a collection and they make mistakes, I'm upset, because the retractions are never noticed." FixQuotes. January 18, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-allow-journalists-to-describe-a-collection-13461/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"If I allow journalists to describe a collection and they make mistakes, I'm upset, because the retractions are never noticed." FixQuotes, 18 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/if-i-allow-journalists-to-describe-a-collection-13461/. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.







