Neil Kraft, the influential creative director behind groundbreaking campaigns at Calvin Klein, Esprit de Corps, and Barneys New York, died at home in East Hampton on Sept. 6. He was 68 and had been ill with cancer for over a year.
Mr. Kraft directed the iconic 1992 Calvin Klein underwear ads featuring Marky Mark and Kate Moss, and at his own agency, KraftWorks, developed the branding and design for Voss water and campaigns for Swimsuits for All, Taylor Swift’s perfume Wonderstruck, Eternity Calvin Klein, and Aldo shoes, among many others.
“Neil Kraft is the rare individual who combines true creative expertise with business acumen,” Jenny B. Fine wrote in Women’s Wear Daily in 2013. “In his work with the likes of Barneys New York, Calvin Klein, Coty, and Elizabeth Arden, he has created campaigns that transcend advertising to become cultural phenomena. Who can forget a naked Kate Moss lying languidly on a couch for Klein’s Obsession or frolicking topless with Marky Mark to sell blue jeans, to name just the most famous examples. Kraft is known for being as direct as he is directional.”
“What I do is try to create beautiful things and create something simple and meaningful that will break through,” the Clio Awards winner told Ms. Fine.
In 1994, Mr. Kraft and his wife, Scott O’Neil, moved full time to their summer house in Barnes Landing with their three children. “I used to swear I’d never live in the Hamptons,” he told The New York Times in 2002. “I hated the crowds. I thought it was too trendy. But when I saw the house — and all these buildings — I went weak in the knees.” The family moved to Oyster Pond Lane in East Hampton in 2008.
He left Calvin Klein and began freelancing, spending three days a week in Manhattan, then founded KraftWorks in 2000, leading the agency until his retirement in 2020.
He was deeply involved in the community here, his family said, “most notably through his volunteer work with East Hampton Meals on Wheels, the Springs Food Pantry, the Hayground School, and the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons.”
Known as a creative force who had a major impact on the fashion and branding world, “here at the Springs Food Pantry, we knew Neil in a different light — as a dedicated volunteer, creative collaborator, and true friend,” reads a tribute on the pantry’s website. “Neil gave his time, heart, and talent to our work. He helped with regular farm deliveries, ensuring that fresh produce reached families in need. Behind the scenes, he used his creative gifts to support our fund-raising — helping produce video stories that brought the Pantry’s mission to life. . . . Even as he faced his illness with grace and resilience, Neil continued to show up for our community. Just last summer, he generously contributed photography and video for our E.A.T. in the Hidden Gardens event — capturing the spirit of that day with his usual thoughtfulness and eye for beauty.”
Born in New York City on Sept. 16, 1956, to Jules Kraft and the former Sonya Cohn, Mr. Kraft grew up on the Upper West Side and earned a B.F.A. in film and photography from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he met his future wife. They were married on June 21, 1985.
She survives, as do his children, Morrison Kraft of Queens, Marley Kraft of Berkeley, Calif., and Dylan Smith of East Hampton, a daughter-in-law, Allison Rivera, a son-in-law, Zach Smith, and a grandchild, Hendrix Smith, 6, with whom Mr. Kraft shared a deep bond.
A private family service was held on Sept. 12.
His family has suggested contributions to the Springs Food Pantry at springsfoodpantry.com, ARF at arfhamptons.org, or Planned Parenthood at plannedparenthood.org.
