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{{short description|American fashion designer}}
]]]
{{about|the fashion designer|his company|Calvin Klein (fashion house)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox fashion designer
| name = Calvin Klein
| image = Calvin Klein 2011 Shankbone.JPG
| caption = Klein in 2011
| birth_name = {{nowrap|Calvin Richard Klein}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1942|11|19}}
| birth_place = ], U.S.
| death_date =
| death_place =
| occupation = Fashion designer
| net worth =
| education = ]
| label_name = ]
| awards =
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Jayne Centre|1965|1974|reason=divorced}}
* {{marriage|Kelly Rector|1986|2006|reason=divorced}}
}}
| child = ]
}}


'''Calvin Klein''' (born ], ]) is a well-known ] designer. His name is also a ] of ] marketed by his company, which was launched in 1968. '''Calvin Richard Klein''' (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that later became ], in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of ]s, ], and ].


== Early life and career ==
In addition to clothing, Calvin Klein also gave his name to a range of ]s, including ] and ] (fragrances for everyone, regardless of gender), now owned by "]". ] manufactures watches under the Calvin Klein brand.
Klein was born on November 19, 1942, to an Austro-Hungarian Jewish family in ], New York City, the son of Flore (''née'' Stern; 1909–2006) and Leo Klein.<ref name=HouseofKlein>{{cite book|author=Marsh, Lisa|url=https://archive.org/details/houseofklein00lisa/page/10|title=<!-- quote=Leo Klein and Flore Stern. --> The House of Klein: Fashion, Controversy, and a Business Obsession|isbn=978-0-471-47895-9|publisher=Wiley|date=April 5, 2004}}</ref><ref name="Flore Klein, United States ]">{{cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VM7C-GPP|title=Flore Klein|website=]|access-date=June 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920165834/https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VM7C-GPP|archive-date=September 20, 2021|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref> Leo was born in ] then in Austria-Hungary now in Ukraine and had immigrated to New York, while Flore was born in the United States to immigrants from ] and ], ] (modern day-Ukraine).<ref name="New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909">{{cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WZS-GPB|title=Max Stern|website=]|access-date=June 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920165829/https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2WZS-GPB|archive-date=September 20, 2021|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref><ref name="New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940">{{cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24H6-STC|title=Max Stern|website=]|access-date=June 15, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210920165620/https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24H6-STC|archive-date=September 20, 2021|url-status=bot: unknown}}</ref>


Klein went to Isobel Rooney Middle School 80 (M.S.80) as a child. He attended the ] in ] and attended New York's ], leaving for six months after his first year before returning to finish his degree. He received an honorary doctorate from FIT in 2003.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dakers |first1=Diane |title=Calvin Klein: fashion design superstar |date=2011 |publisher=Crabtree Pub. Co |location=St. Catharines, Ont.; New York |isbn=978-1-4271-9466-4}}</ref> He did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an old line cloak-and-suit manufacturer, Dan Millstein,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fashionelite.com/profile/calvin-klein/|title=Calvin Klein|date=September 20, 2016|website=Fashion Elite|language=en-US|access-date=March 18, 2020}}</ref> and spent five years designing at other New York City shops.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fragrancesgalaxy.com/product-brand/calvin-klein/ | title=Calvin Klein }}</ref> In 1968, he launched his first company with his childhood best friend,<ref name="Luxury">{{cite book|title=Luxury Brand Management|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|last=Chevalier|first=Michel|year=2012|location=Singapore|isbn=978-1-118-17176-9}}</ref> ].<ref name="Luxury" /><ref name="citylife">{{cite web|url=http://cityfile.com/profiles/calvin-klein|title=Calvin j|publisher=Citylife.com|access-date=January 28, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901185806/http://cityfile.com/profiles/calvin-klein|archive-date=September 1, 2009}}</ref>
==Early years==


He became a ] of ],<ref name="citylife" /> who introduced him to the New York elite fashion scene before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first jeans line. He was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at ]. He was hailed as the new ], and was noted for his clean lines.{{citation needed|date=September 2021}}
Born '''Richard Klein''' in ] to ]ish ] immigrants, attended the ] and he was graduated at 20 from New York's ]. He apprenticed, in 1962, at an oldline cloak-and-suit manufacturer and spent five years designing at other New York shops.


In 1974, Klein designed the tight-fitting signature jeans that went on to gross $200,000 in their first week of sales.<ref name="Vogue Arabia">{{cite web |last1=Morgan |first1=Philippa |date=November 22, 2016 |title=Calvin Klein: How the Fashion Phenomenon Kept His Cool |url=http://en.vogue.me/fashion/calvin-klein-designer-fashion-facts/ |access-date=December 15, 2016 |website=Vogue}}</ref>
Klein was one of several design leaders raised in the ] immigrant community in the Bronx, ] which also include, ] and ]. Calvin Klein became a protégé of ] through whose introductions he became the toast of the New York elite fashion scene, even before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first jeans line. Later, speaking in an interview with ] and ] for ], published not long after the Baron's death Klein said: "He was truly the greatest inspiration of my life... he was my ], I was his protégé. If you talk about a person with style and true elegance-- maybe I'm being a snob, but I'll tell you, there was no one like him. I used to think, boy, did he put me through hell sometimes, but boy, was I lucky. I was so lucky to have known him so well for so long." Calvin Klein was immediately recognised for his talent after his first major showing at New York Fashion Week. Klein was hailed as the new ], and was noted for his clean lines and strait cuts on coats and suits.


In 1998, Klein participated in a celebrity reading of ''"The Emperor's New Clothes,"'' for The Starbright Foundation to benefit ill children.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Audio Special: Celebrity Readings From 'The Emperor's New Clothes' |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/98/12/20/specials/emperor.html |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=archive.nytimes.com}}</ref>
==Creating the Calvin Klein empire==
In 1968, Klein and his childhood friend ], who was to manage the business, then initially founded ], a coat shop on one of the floors of the York Hotel, in ] with $10,000. Legend has it that a year later a buyer from ] got off the elevator on the wrong floor, and ended up placing a $50,000 order. It is more likely though, that Klein showed his work to Bonwit Teller staff which led to the first Calvin Klein collection: a line of men’s and women’s coats featured at the New York City store.


== Personal life ==
In 1969, Mr. Klein, who was later described as “the supreme master of minimalism”, appeared on the cover of ] magazine. By 1971, sportswear, classic blazers as well as lingerie were added to his womens collection portfolio.
Klein is a supporter of the U.S. ], having given over $250,000 to candidates and ] since 1980.<ref> {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213160547/http://newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Calvin_Klein.php|date=December 13, 2007}}</ref>


=== Relationships ===
In 1973 he was awarded the ] for the first time, which he received for three consecutive years, for his 74-piece womenswear collection. By 1977, annual revenues had jumped to $30 million, and he had licenses for scarves, shoes, belts, furs, sunglasses, and sheets. Klein and Schwartz were making $4 million each. After the company signed licenses for cosmetics, jeans, and menswear, Klein’s annual retail volume was estimated at $100 million. In 1978, Klein claimed sales of 200,000 pairs of his famous jeans the first week they were on the market. By 1981, ] figured Klein’s annual income at $8.5 million a year. In the mid-1970s, he had created a designer-jeans craze by putting his name on the back pocket. The jeans were famously advertised with a commercial featuring a 15-year-old ] cooing in 1979/80 that "nothing comes between me and my Calvins" and “I’ve got seven Calvins in my closet, and if they could talk, I’d be ruined.” Controversial advertising, including a series of ads featuring adolescents in sexually evocative poses, has been a recurring theme for the company.
Klein married Jayne Centre, a ] designer, in 1964.<ref name="NY Magazine">{{cite web|last1=Gross|first1=Michael|title=The Latest Calvin|url=http://mgross.com/writing/profiles/calvin-klein/|publisher=Originally New York magazine|access-date=July 14, 2014|ref=NY Mag}}</ref> They have a daughter, television producer ],<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.vogue.co.uk/biographies/080422-calvin-klein-biography.aspx|title=Calvin Klein|date=April 22, 2008|magazine=]|access-date=January 28, 2010|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718043633/http://www.vogue.co.uk/biographies/080422-calvin-klein-biography.aspx|archive-date=July 18, 2009}}</ref> who is best known for her work on NBC's '']'' and '']''. The couple divorced in 1974.<ref name="NY Magazine" /> In September 1986, Klein married his assistant Kelly Rector in ] while they were on a buying trip in Italy.<ref name="NY Magazine" /> She later became a well-known socialite photographer. After separating in 1996, they divorced in April 2006.<ref name="citylife" />


In the early 2010s, Klein dated gay ex-porn star Nicholas Gruber, who is 47 years younger than him.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Moylan |first1=Brian |title=Calvin Klein's Underwear Model Boyfriend Also Starred in Gay Porn |url=https://www.gawker.com/5626955/calvin-kleins-underwear-model-boyfriend-also-did-some-gay-porn |website=www.gawker.com/ |date=August 31, 2010 |publisher=Gawker |access-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-date=October 26, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211026222752/https://www.gawker.com/5626955/calvin-kleins-underwear-model-boyfriend-also-did-some-gay-porn |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Hannah Elliott |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hannahelliott/2011/10/18/calvin-klein-on-kate-moss-ralph-lauren-love-and-other-drugs/ |title=Calvin Klein On Kate Moss, Ralph Lauren, Love And Other Drugs |work=Forbes.com |date=October 18, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://gawker.com/calvin-kleins-boyfriend-doesnt-want-any-gay-people-to-1168040884|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130819220316/http://gawker.com/calvin-kleins-boyfriend-doesnt-want-any-gay-people-to-1168040884|archive-date = August 19, 2013|title = Calvin Klein's Boyfriend Doesn't Want Any Gay People to Touch Him| newspaper=Gawker | date=August 19, 2013 | last1=Musto | first1=Michael }}</ref>
In the late 1970s, the company also made attempts to set up their own fragrance and cosmetics business but soon learned that they were not able to do it alone and withdrew from the market with big financial losses. In the 1980s, as the designer-jeans frenzy reached its all-time high, Calvin Klein introduced a highly successful line of boxer shorts for women and a men’s underwear collection which would later gross $70 million in a single year. Calvin Klein’s underwear business, promoted later in the 1990s with giant billboards of pop singer "Marky Mark" ], was so successful that his underpants became generally known as ‘Calvins’.


=== Homes ===
The stunning growth continued through the early eighties. The licensing program, which brought in $24,000 when it was initiated in 1974, had royalty income of $7.3 million ten years later. That year, worldwide retail sales were estimated at more than $600 million. Klein’s clothes were sold through 12,000 stores in the United States and were available in six other countries. His annual income passed $12,000,000.
For many years, Klein owned a home in ] on ].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-08-28 |title=The Visionary: Calvin Klein |url=https://www.interviewmagazine.com/fashion/calvin-klein |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=Interview Magazine |language=en-US}}</ref> He hosted friends such as artist ], ] owner ], Fashion designer ], and media mogul ].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Warhol |first1=Andy |url=http://archive.org/details/andywarholdiarie00warh |title=The Andy Warhol Diaries |last2=Hackett |first2=Pat |date=1989 |publisher=Warner Books |isbn=978-0-446-51426-2 |location=New York, NY |pages=453–455}}</ref> Although he sold the property in 1995, it is still known as "The Calvin Klein House."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Sloan/ Calvin Klein/ David Geffen house Est.1972 |url=https://www.pineshistory.org/the-archives/the-sloane-calvin-klein-david-geffen-house-1972 |access-date=2024-07-21 |website=Fire Island Pines Historical Society |language=en-US}}</ref>


In 2003, Klein bought an ocean-front estate in ], on ] and demolished it to build a $75 million glass-and-concrete mansion.<ref name="citylife" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Bernstein |first1=Jacob |title=The House That Calvin Built |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/01/fashion/the-house-that-calvin-klein-built.html |website=New York Times |date=August 30, 2013 |access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref> In 2015, he put his ] mansion on the market for $16 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Fashion Icon Calvin Klein Snips the Price of His Fabulous Florida Estate |url=https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/calvin-klein-alters-price-florida-estate/ |website=realtor.com News |date=November 2, 2016 |access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref> The Florida home sold for $12,850,000 in February 2017. In June 2015, Klein bought a mansion in ], ], for $25 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Calvin Klein Buys Big in the Bird Streets: Let's Go Inside! |url=https://athomeinhollywood.com/2015/06/26/calvin-klein-buys-big-in-the-bird-streets/ |website=At Home in Hollywood |date=June 26, 2015 |access-date=June 18, 2020}}</ref>
Financial problems, increased pressure from all sides, disagreements with the licensee of the menswear line and its disappointing sales as well as an enormous employee turnover both within Calvin Klein and its licensing partners led to the first rumors that ], as the company had been known by then, was up for sale. And indeed, in late 1987, it was said that the sale of the company to ], a container manufacturer, had only failed because of the crashing stock market.


== Awards ==
Although the company almost faced bankruptcy in 1992, Calvin Klein managed to regain and increase the profitability of his empire throughout the later 90s, mainly through the success of its highly popular underwear and fragrance lines as well as the cK sportswear line. Mr. Klein was named “America’s Best Designer” for his minimalist all-American designs in 1993, and thus it came as a shocking surprise when in 1999 it was announced again that CKI was up for sale. Planning to expand its business, the company had been approached by two luxury goods companies, ] and ], to join Calvin Klein but nothing resulted. Other potentials like ] Corp. and Italy's ] proved to be similar disappointments because of CKI's steep price tag of supposedly $1 billion. After seven months and no potential buyer, Mr. Klein announced that his empire was not on the market anymore. The company should never manage to go public which had supposedly been Mr. Klein's plan once.
In 1974, Klein also became the first designer to receive outstanding design in men's and women's wear from the ] (CFDA) award show.{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} In 1983, he was placed on the ].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Introducing the International Best-Dressed List 2016 Hall of Fame|url=http://www.vanityfair.com/style/2016/09/international-best-dressed-list-hall-of-fame-2016|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=September 8, 2016|access-date=December 15, 2016}}</ref> Also in 1981, 1983, and 1993, he received an award from the CFDA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cfda.com/cfda-fashion-awards#past-winners|title=CFDA Fashion Awards|access-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref> In 1991, he received the ] Golden Plate Award.<ref>{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website=www.achievement.org|publisher=]|url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/all-honorees/}}</ref>


== In pop culture ==
==Acquisition by Phillips-Van Heusen==
Klein made a cameo appearance in season 3, episode 15 ("]") of the television series '']''.<ref>{{cite news|first=Amy|last=Odell|url=http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2009/01/am_links_21.html|title=Victoria Beckham Now in Russian Vogue; Calvin Klein Spotted at ''30 Rock''|access-date=March 11, 2010|date=January 23, 2009|work=]}}</ref> A fictionalized version of him also appears in season 4, episode 12 ("]") of the television series '']''.

The name Calvin Klein was used by ] in the 1985 film '']'', after a woman sees his underwear.
In mid-December 2002, Calvin Klein Inc. (CKI) was finally sold to shirt maker ], whose then CEO ] was the driving force behind the deal, for about $400 million in cash, $30 million in stock as well as licensing rights and royalties linked to revenues over the following 15 years that were estimated at $200 to $300 million. The sale also included an ongoing personal financial incentive for Mr. Klein based on future sales of the Calvin Klein brand.

] outcompeted ], the maker of ] and ] jeans, which had also been interested in the jeans, underwear and swimwear business of CK that had been controlled by ], maker of ] swimwear, since 1997. The deal with PVH did not include these businesses, they remained with ]. Unable to pay debts from acquisitions and licensing agreements and due to bad publicity by a later dismissed lawsuit with Calvin Klein over selling license products to retailers other than agreed upon with Calvin Klein, ] had filed for chapter 11 protection in mid-2001 but eventually emerged from bankruptcy in February of 2003. Mr. Klein himself had considered ], then CEO of ], a personal enemy.

In reaction to the announcement of the deal, ] shares closed down 14 cents at $12.54 on the New York Stock Exchange on December 17, 2002. The industry feared that ] had taken on too much with the acquisition. It is said that talks between Calvin Klein and ] had began as early as 2000.

The transaction between Calvin Klein and PVH was financially supported by ], a New York private equity firm, which is said to have made a $250 million equity investment in ] convertible preferred stock, as well as a $125 million, two-year secured note, all in exchange for seats on the board of ].

CKI thus became a wholly owned subsidiary of ]. In the beginning, Mr. Klein himself, who was included as a person in the 15-year contract he had signed with ], remained creative head of the collections but then continued as an advisor (consulting creative director) to the new company from 2003 on and has since more and more withdrawn from the business. Mr. Klein has appeared in the news from time to time since then when his name was associated with drug abuse, withdrawal treatments and public nuisance. ] was said to concentrate on his role as chairman of the ], a horse-racing club. The current President and COO of the CKI division within ] is ], who had filled this position already before the acquisition.

==Current licenses==

In early 2003, it was announced that ] of Italy would be entrusted with the manufacture and distribution of ] for men and women – the label’s pricey high-end haute couture designer line which these days is shown on runways during the fashion weeks in New York and Milan – while design, marketing, advertising and public relations as well as control over the distribution of the line remained with CKI.

In June 2003, CKI announced that ] of Chesterfield, Missouri had been selected as a strategic licensing partner to produce, source and distribute a Calvin Klein women’s better sportswear line to launch in North, Central and South America in late 2004. Under the terms of the arrangement, Kellwood collaborated with ] and ], two seasoned ] executives, who had formed a new business venture named ] with ], chairman and CEO of ], to help develop and launch the line in terms of marketing, design and advertising. ], a Manhattan based company, already then designed and manufactured for ck Calvin Klein and ]. The cooperation between ] and ] was ended on friendly terms in September 2005 with ] being left solely responsible for the womens sportswear line while the other parties could focus on their ck Calvin Klein bridge business. A better sportswear line for men has been designed and developed in-house at CKI and ] since spring 2004.

Just recently (December 2005), the ] announced that in 2006 they would acquire 100% of the shares of the companies that operate the licenses and related wholesale and retail businesses of ] and accessories in Europe and Asia as well as the cK Calvin Klein bridge line of sportswear and accessories in Europe from ], a Florentine holding company, and ] for €240 million. ], a company controlled by the Italian Fratini family, had held a 90% share in the European Calvin Klein business – which was managed by ] – since 1995 with CKI owning the remaining 10%. Additionally, beginning in 2008 and continuing through December 2013, ] will assume the license for ] men's and women's apparel and accessories worldwide from ], with ] remaining in charge after the completion of the deal. The deal will have no impact on the existing US licenses with ] for the Calvin Klein women's better sportswear line and with ] for the ck Calvin Klein bridge sportswear business.

==Designers at Calvin Klein==

]
The current creative director for ] for women is Brazilian-born ] who had already worked with Mr. Klein directly before the founder’s departure from the company.

], a former ] and ] designer, had collaborated with Calvin Klein for six seasons before he became head designer of the Calvin Klein Collection menswear line in spring 2004.

==Calvin Klein stores==

]
In the late 1990s the company opened elegant ] stores in Paris, Seoul, and Taipei and ultra-fancy cK Calvin Klein stores in Hong Kong, Milan and Kuwait City. As of today, there are ] stores operated by CKI in New York and Paris. The Calvin Klein stores in Milan, Moscow, Barcelona, Rome, Dubai (two locations), Seoul, Singapore and Taipei are maintained by partners.

Out of the two ] stores that existed in the US, the Dallas location in Highland Park Village which had been open for 20 years was closed in mid-2005. The New York store, which serves as the company’s flagship store at 654 Madison Ave., remains open till today. The sportswear and cK lines are mainly sold through North American department stores and in Europe through high-end retail stores. In Asia, there are also signature cK stores that only carry the cK sportswear line. The ], in addition, maintains Calvin Klein Jeans and corresponding outlet stores. Apart from Calvin Klein Underwear boutiques, there are also several Calvin Klein Outlet stores in the US that sell the sportswear and cK lines at reduced prices but do not carry the Collection lines.

With the fall 2006 Collection runway presentations in ], CKI will inaugurate an 8,600-sqf show room space that can seat up to 600 people on the ground floor of 205 West 39th Street, in ] South where Calvin Klein has been headquartered since 1978. Their current office space in the building is about 143,000-sqf with lease costs probably figuring at around $30 per sq in that area.

==Calvin Klein brands==

The most visible brand names include:
*]
*Calvin Klein
*cK
*Calvin Klein Jeans

Licenses are in effect for the most of the above mentioned brands’ jeans, kids clothing, underwear, swimwear, sleepwear, hosiery and socks, watches, fragrance, eyewear and home lines/collections.

==Calvin Klein fragrances==

Calvin Klein is famous for the label's various lines of perfumes and colognes. Their perfumes and the corresponding fragrance lines used to be maintained by Calvin Klein Cosmetics Company (CKCC), a ] company, until recently when in May 2005 cosmetics giant ] of ] bought up the fragrance licensing agreements from ].

*Calvin (men)
*Obsession (men and women)
*Eternity (men and women)
*Escape (men and women)
*cK one (unisex)
*cK be (unisex)
*Contradiction (men and women)
*Truth (men and women)
*Crave (men)
*Eternity Purple Orchid (women)
*Eternity Moment (women)
*Obsession Night (men and women)
*Euphoria (women)

==Trivia==
*Klein was the victim of a ] in 2001 at a fashion premier at New York's ].

==Advertising==
* The Calvin Klein company, like many in the fashion industry, is known for its eye-catching ]. It is noted by many conservative organizations for its use of seemingly-underage models in pseudo-provocative poses. Calvin Klein's advertising campaigns are frequently controversial, but prove this can be very successful - to the point of making a blitz career. One of his male underwear models, ], went on to fame as hip hop star 'Marky Mark', launching himself into the Hollywood scene as well. Another Hollywood star owing his respectable career to the Calvin Klein advertisements is ].
* They also play with emerging technologies. When advertising ] perfume in ], they employed a very unusual and groundbreaking campaign that displayed e-mail addresses in print advertisements, targeted at teenagers (such as ''anna@ckone.com'' or ''nick@ckone.com''). When these teens mailed these addresses, they would be placed on a ] that sent them mails with vague details about the models' lives, with fake details meant to make them more relatable. These mails came at unpredictable intervals, and were supposed to give readers the feeling that they had some connection with these characters. Though the mailing lists were discontinued in ], the campaign has inspired similar marketing tactics for movies and other retail products.

==Gay Culture==
* Calvin Klein underwear, while worn by many heterosexual men, has for a long time been favored by the gay community, particularly the modern ]. Most gay-related shops sell the brand, it has entered gay sub culture as a "uniform".
* Many CK adverts tend to concentrate on the homoerotic aspect of the brand.
* The writer ] based the character Russell Rand - a "''scrubbed and tan, athletically lean"'', bisexual fashion designer in ] - on Klein; a chapter in which the married Rand attempts to seduce a young man is entitled ''That Eternity Crap''.
* A 2006 ] newspaper article (''Life after Calvin Klein'', Colin McDowell, 26 March 2006) described Klein in the 1970s as partying "nightly at ] with the likes of ], ] and ]. Some know of his passionate days on ], of which Andy Warhol wrote in July 1982: 'We went back to Calvin's, but we walked in as Calvin and Steve (], the owner of Studio 54) were with two porno stars and we were embarrassed and left.'"


== See also == == See also ==
* ] * ]
* ]
* ]
* ]
* ]


==External links== == References ==
{{reflist}}


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Latest revision as of 12:18, 24 December 2024

American fashion designer This article is about the fashion designer. For his company, see Calvin Klein (fashion house).

Calvin Klein
Klein in 2011
BornCalvin Richard Klein
(1942-11-19) November 19, 1942 (age 82)
New York City, U.S.
EducationFashion Institute of Technology
OccupationFashion designer
LabelCalvin Klein Inc.
Spouses
Jayne Centre ​ ​(m. 1965; div. 1974)​
Kelly Rector ​ ​(m. 1986; div. 2006)​

Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer who launched the company that later became Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery.

Early life and career

Klein was born on November 19, 1942, to an Austro-Hungarian Jewish family in the Bronx, New York City, the son of Flore (née Stern; 1909–2006) and Leo Klein. Leo was born in Boiany then in Austria-Hungary now in Ukraine and had immigrated to New York, while Flore was born in the United States to immigrants from Galicia and Bukovina, Austria-Hungary (modern day-Ukraine).

Klein went to Isobel Rooney Middle School 80 (M.S.80) as a child. He attended the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan and attended New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, leaving for six months after his first year before returning to finish his degree. He received an honorary doctorate from FIT in 2003. He did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an old line cloak-and-suit manufacturer, Dan Millstein, and spent five years designing at other New York City shops. In 1968, he launched his first company with his childhood best friend, Barry K. Schwartz.

He became a protégé of Baron de Gunzburg, who introduced him to the New York elite fashion scene before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first jeans line. He was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at New York Fashion Week. He was hailed as the new Yves Saint Laurent, and was noted for his clean lines.

In 1974, Klein designed the tight-fitting signature jeans that went on to gross $200,000 in their first week of sales.

In 1998, Klein participated in a celebrity reading of "The Emperor's New Clothes," for The Starbright Foundation to benefit ill children.

Personal life

Klein is a supporter of the U.S. Democratic Party, having given over $250,000 to candidates and PACs since 1980.

Relationships

Klein married Jayne Centre, a textile designer, in 1964. They have a daughter, television producer Marci Klein, who is best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. The couple divorced in 1974. In September 1986, Klein married his assistant Kelly Rector in Rome while they were on a buying trip in Italy. She later became a well-known socialite photographer. After separating in 1996, they divorced in April 2006.

In the early 2010s, Klein dated gay ex-porn star Nicholas Gruber, who is 47 years younger than him.

Homes

For many years, Klein owned a home in Fire Island Pines, New York on Fire Island. He hosted friends such as artist Andy Warhol, Studio 54 owner Steve Rubell, Fashion designer Chester Weinberg, and media mogul David Geffen. Although he sold the property in 1995, it is still known as "The Calvin Klein House."

In 2003, Klein bought an ocean-front estate in Southampton, New York, on Long Island and demolished it to build a $75 million glass-and-concrete mansion. In 2015, he put his Miami Beach, Florida mansion on the market for $16 million. The Florida home sold for $12,850,000 in February 2017. In June 2015, Klein bought a mansion in Los Angeles, California, for $25 million.

Awards

In 1974, Klein also became the first designer to receive outstanding design in men's and women's wear from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award show. In 1983, he was placed on the International Best Dressed List. Also in 1981, 1983, and 1993, he received an award from the CFDA. In 1991, he received the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award.

In pop culture

Klein made a cameo appearance in season 3, episode 15 ("The Bubble") of the television series 30 Rock. A fictionalized version of him also appears in season 4, episode 12 ("The Pick") of the television series Seinfeld. The name Calvin Klein was used by Marty McFly in the 1985 film Back to the Future, after a woman sees his underwear.

See also

References

  1. Marsh, Lisa (April 5, 2004). The House of Klein: Fashion, Controversy, and a Business Obsession. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-47895-9.
  2. "Flore Klein". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. "Max Stern". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "Max Stern". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. Dakers, Diane (2011). Calvin Klein: fashion design superstar. St. Catharines, Ont.; New York: Crabtree Pub. Co. ISBN 978-1-4271-9466-4.
  6. "Calvin Klein". Fashion Elite. September 20, 2016. Retrieved March 18, 2020.
  7. "Calvin Klein".
  8. ^ Chevalier, Michel (2012). Luxury Brand Management. Singapore: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-17176-9.
  9. ^ "Calvin j". Citylife.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  10. Morgan, Philippa (November 22, 2016). "Calvin Klein: How the Fashion Phenomenon Kept His Cool". Vogue. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  11. "Audio Special: Celebrity Readings From 'The Emperor's New Clothes'". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  12. Archived December 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Gross, Michael. "The Latest Calvin". Originally New York magazine. Retrieved July 14, 2014.
  14. "Calvin Klein". Vogue. April 22, 2008. Archived from the original on July 18, 2009. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
  15. Moylan, Brian (August 31, 2010). "Calvin Klein's Underwear Model Boyfriend Also Starred in Gay Porn". www.gawker.com/. Gawker. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  16. Hannah Elliott (October 18, 2011). "Calvin Klein On Kate Moss, Ralph Lauren, Love And Other Drugs". Forbes.com.
  17. Musto, Michael (August 19, 2013). "Calvin Klein's Boyfriend Doesn't Want Any Gay People to Touch Him". Gawker. Archived from the original on August 19, 2013.
  18. "The Visionary: Calvin Klein". Interview Magazine. August 28, 2013. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  19. Warhol, Andy; Hackett, Pat (1989). The Andy Warhol Diaries. New York, NY: Warner Books. pp. 453–455. ISBN 978-0-446-51426-2.
  20. "The Sloan/ Calvin Klein/ David Geffen house Est.1972". Fire Island Pines Historical Society. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  21. Bernstein, Jacob (August 30, 2013). "The House That Calvin Built". New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  22. "Fashion Icon Calvin Klein Snips the Price of His Fabulous Florida Estate". realtor.com News. November 2, 2016. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  23. "Calvin Klein Buys Big in the Bird Streets: Let's Go Inside!". At Home in Hollywood. June 26, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
  24. "Introducing the International Best-Dressed List 2016 Hall of Fame". Vanity Fair. September 8, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  25. "CFDA Fashion Awards". Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  26. "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  27. Odell, Amy (January 23, 2009). "Victoria Beckham Now in Russian Vogue; Calvin Klein Spotted at 30 Rock". New York. Retrieved March 11, 2010.

External links

Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award at the CFDA Fashion Awards
American sportswear
20th century
sportswear designers
21st century
sportswear designers
Notable designs
Other associated people
See also
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