The Empire of Calvin Klein

Behind every runway show, product launching, or clothing line of the fashion industry giant, Calvin Klein, there is one man tirelessly working to achieve success. Calvin Klein, the designer, fashion mogul and businessman, has built an empire during his entire 40-year career in the industry. But before his name became an international brand, Klein’s life story started when he was just a young dreamer who pursued his dreams with relentless passion.

Born in 1942 in the Bronx, Klein was raised by parents of Hungarian descent. He knew what he wanted at an early age and honed his creative genius by attending the High School of Industrial Art. Later on, he studied fashion as an art at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. Klein was only a fresh college graduate when he first entered the world of fashion as an apprentice at a cloaks and suits manufacturer. During his formative years, the budding designer created clothing for a number of boutiques located in New York.

Klein’s name began circulating in the local scene when he became Baron de Gunzburg’s protégé, who was, at that time, a powerful editor of high-profile magazines Town & Country, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. With the connections he gained through de Gunzburg, Klein was able to create a name for himself years before the launch of his initial line.

In 1968, Klein saw that the timing was perfect. He launched his company, Calvin Klein Inc., which first designed, manufactured and sold women’s clothing. Increased patronage to the brand led Klein to expand his business into other areas of clothing. Today, Calvin Klein is best known for turning two formerly mundane products – underwear and jeans – into an international category of fashion.

As a businessman, Klein is known to be a marketing genius. He made his company a household name with an ad of Brooke Shields talking about her “Calvins,” and solidified its stature in the industry with images of supermodel Kate Moss reclining on a sofa in the Obsession ads. No other fashion mogul has used advertising as effectively as Klein did.

The first American fashion designer and businessman to ever break into the international scene, Calvin Klein is surely one of the most admired people across all industries.