Fashion Designer Biography: Calvin Klein
Posted on August 7, 2006
Filed Under Calvin Klein, Fashion Designers
Calvin Klein is one of the most well-known American Fashion Designers. Born in 1942 in The Bronx, he in an alumnus of New York’s High School of Art and Design as well as the Fashion Institute of Technology (also in New York). Before attending these schools, however, he taught himself how to sew and draw/sketch as a young boy.
In 1968, Klein launched his own label with the help and partnership of Barry Schwartz, a childhood friend; the idea for a label was inspired by the fresh and unpretentious style of New York’s urban youth. Within weeks, his designs were being shown at a department store, after a merchandise manager saw Calvin Klein’s first collection.
Dubbed ‘Calvin the Conqueror’ by WWD and listed as one of America’s 25 most influential people by Time, Klein has helped shape the casualwear industry and played a key role in modern advertising.
Throughout the fashion industry, word spread quickly about Klein and his sleek designs, which were now featured regularly in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. In the early 1970s, he introduced his trademark jeans, which he elevated to designer status by cutting them tight and branding his name on the back pocket.
He caused a storm of controversy when he had Richard Avedon photograph a pubescent Brooke Shields for his 1979 jeans campaign under the slogan, “You know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.”
In 1982, by adding style and his logo to boxers and briefs, Klein conquered the underwear market. He blurred the boundaries between the sexes, designing masculine bikinis for women. In the late 1980s, Klein entered the fragrance market with the launch of Obsession and Eternity.
Throughout his career, Klein has come under criticism for his ubiquitous and controversial ad campaigns, most notably those that featured Kate Moss, Mark Wahlberg, and Antonio Sabato Jr. In 1995, he roused antipornography advocates with a series of commercials that featured adolescents in sexually evocative poses. Klein pulled the ads after being denounced by President Bill Clinton and the Catholic League.
Widely considered the most prominent American fashion designer, Klein was first awarded the Council of Fashion Designers of America Award for outstanding design in both womenswear and menswear in 1982, becoming the first designer ever to receive both honors in the same year.
Calvin Klein will be presenting his new collection at Olympus Fashion Week on Thursday, September 14, 2006.
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