Calvin Klein Biography

(American Fashion Designer and Founder of 'Calvin Klein Inc')

Birthday: November 19, 1942 (Scorpio)

Born In: Bronx, New York, United States

When it comes to avant-garde fashion, very few designers offer absolutely modern and sophisticated style as Calvin Klein. Endowed with a tasteful sense of fashion, Calvin Klein is one of America’s top fashion designers who created waves through his minimal yet classic designs. He never infused too many colours in his apparels. In fact, Klein best used neutral tones in his ensembles to give them richness and opulence. His Calvin Klein Empire which started off as a small coat company today proudly offers a wide range of products from apparels to fragrance, underwear to footwear and much more. While Klein’s chic designs were a rage, it was his launch of tight-fitting jeans that augmented both the company and his status by leaps and bounds. The denim wear collection had hit bull’s eye and became the talk of the town. As if this were any less, the 1980s witnessed a further boom after the launch of men’s innerwear. While Klein’s products received critical acclaim, his advertisements were severely criticized and created controversy for being outrageously provocative and socially irresponsible. Though the ads were eventually withdrawn, they gave the brand much needed publicity
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Quick Facts

Also Known As: Calvin Richard Klein

Age: 82 Years, 82 Year Old Males

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Jayne Centre Klein, Kelly Rector

father: Flore Stern

siblings: Alexis Klein, Barry Klein

children: Marci Klein

Fashion Designers American Men

Height: 5'9" (175 cm), 5'9" Males

Notable Alumni: Fashion Institute Of Technology

Ancestry: Hungarian American, Ukrainian American

City: Bronx, New York

Ideology: Democrats

U.S. State: New Yorkers

Founder/Co-Founder: Calvin Klein

More Facts

education: Fashion Institute Of Technology

  • 1

    What is Calvin Klein known for?

    Calvin Klein is known for being an American fashion designer who founded the Calvin Klein Inc. fashion house in 1968.

  • 2

    What are some popular Calvin Klein fragrances?

    Some popular Calvin Klein fragrances include CK One, Eternity, Obsession, and Euphoria.

  • 3

    When was the first Calvin Klein store opened?

    The first Calvin Klein store was opened in 1968 in New York City.

  • 4

    What is the significance of the Calvin Klein logo?

    The Calvin Klein logo, with its minimalistic design featuring the brand's name in lowercase letters, represents simplicity, sophistication, and modernity.

  • 5

    How has Calvin Klein influenced the fashion industry?

    Calvin Klein has been influential in shaping modern fashion by popularizing minimalistic, clean designs and setting trends in denim, underwear, and fragrance categories.

Childhood & Early Life
Calvin Richard Klein was born to Flo and Leo Stern on November 19, 1942 in Bronx, New York. He was the second of the three children that the couple had.
Ever since he was a child, he intently watched his grandmother who was a seamstress. As such, he soon developed a love for sewing, which only deepened to become his passion and later profession.
Interestingly, when kids of his age played sports, he spend hours sketching designs and sewing fashionable outfits. His mother encouraged his love for fashion and art.
Upon finishing his elementary studies, he gained admission at the High School of Art and Design. Matriculating from the same, he enrolled at the esteemed Fashion Institute of Technology in New York from where he graduated in 1962.
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Career
Klein’s first step in the professional and glamorous world of fashion came on 1962 as an apprentice worker for Dan Millestein, who owned a cloak and suit house. Enthusiastic and keen, he worked hard day and night to better his own designs. Meanwhile, he designed for other New York shops as well.
In 1968, he collaborated with his childhood buddy, Barry Schwartz, to establish his own company, Calvin Klein. At the time of its initiation, the company was limited to being a coat shop.
Klein bagged his first order from the Bonwit Teller—a large New York City clothing store. Interestingly, the order came as a result of sheer luck. A coat buyer from Bonwit Teller mistakenly got off on the wrong floor of a hotel on which Klein’ workroom was located and wandered into the workroom. Watching him work, she made a huge order worth $50,000.
His first order was a huge hit and earned him rave reviews from both the public and fashion press. The store executives were impressed with his work and encouraged him to expand his line to sportswear as well.
By 1971, Calvin Klein Company had grown dramatically. The establishment traded not just in coats, but sportswear, classic blazers and lingerie in its women’s collection. Within a matter of time, the Klein Empire became huge and highly successful and included couture line-up that provided its female customers highly fashionable custom-made attires.
Klein’s hard work, dedication and commitment to fashion paid huge financial dividends too. From a modest start-up of $10,000, the company’s revenues escalated to $30 million by 1977. At that time, other than women’s wear, the company had licenses for scarves, shoes, belt, furs, sunglasses and sheets.
Not the one to be content easily, Klein ventured forth to expand his business further and acquired license for cosmetics, jean and menswear. Henceforth, the Klein Empire became one of the leading fashion labels, providing customers with an impressive line, all under one brand.
While Klein experienced an uphill climb with his business venture, the journey reached the summit when he launched his first jeans line that revolutionized the way people looked at fashion. His introduction of tight-fitting jeans in the market earned him his first mainstream success and gave him and the brand a cult status.
Just when the world was rolling over the designer-jeans frenzy, Klein ventured forth in the understated and not-much-talked-about men’s underwear market and came up with a successful line of boxer shorts that transformed the way the world looked at men’s inner wear. Augmenting the demand were advertisements and billboards showing nearly-naked models in exotic poses.
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By the early 1980s, his once-humble store had turned into a huge empire, with more than 12000 stores across six countries, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
The decades of 1990s was dominated by his highly popular perfume lines. His three major fragrances, Obsession, Eternity, and Escape, were huge successes.
Major Works
While Klein’s sense of fashion and style was highly lauded and greatly demanded ever since his brand was launched, it was his signature tight-fitting jeans that gave him the cult status that he enjoys till date. The jeans revolutionized the way people looked at denim wear.
The boom of the signature jeans served as a prelude for the forthcoming foray into the men’s innerwear that steered the company to big financial gain. His designed boxer shorts titled ‘Calvins’ acted as a catalyst grossing stunning growth rate for the company.
Awards & Achievements
Klein has been honoured by various fashion councils from the world over. He struck a hat-trick with the prestigious Coty Awards from 1973 to 1975, becoming the youngest designer ever to achieve the feat.
He thrice received an award from the Councils of Fashion Designs of America in 1981, 1983 and 1993.
In 1983, Klein was listed on the International Best Dressed List.
In 1996, he made it to the list of 25 most influential Americans, published by Times Magazine.
In 2002, Calvin Klein sold his company, Calvin Klein Inc. to Phillips Van Heusen Corp.
Personal Life & Legacy
In 1964, Calvin Klein married Jayne Centre, a textile designer by profession. The couple was blessed with a daughter, Marci, who currently holds the profile of Talent Producer for NBC’s Saturday Night Live. His marriage to Jayne ended in a divorce in 1974.
In 1986, he married his assistant Kelly Rector. This union too wasn’t successful for long. The couple separated in 1996 and legally divorced in 2006.
Facts About Calvin Klein

Calvin Klein originally wanted to be an artist and studied at the High School of Art and Design in New York City before pursuing a career in fashion.

He is known for revolutionizing the denim industry by introducing designer jeans as a high fashion item in the 1970s.

Calvin Klein's minimalist and clean aesthetic became a signature style that defined his brand and set him apart from other designers of his time.

He has collaborated with various artists and celebrities over the years, including Kate Moss, Mark Wahlberg, and Kendall Jenner, to create iconic ad campaigns for his brand.

See the events in life of Calvin Klein in Chronological Order

How To Cite

Article Title
- Calvin Klein Biography
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- Editors, TheFamousPeople.com
Website
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URL
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/calvin-klein-inc-954.php

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