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Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American
fashion design
Fashion design is the Art (skill), art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction and natural beauty to clothing and its Fashion accessory, accessories. It is influenced by culture and different trends, and has varied over time and plac ...
er who launched the company that would later become
Calvin Klein Inc., in 1968. In addition to clothing, he also has given his name to a range of
perfume
Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent ...
s,
watches, and
jewellery
Jewellery ( UK) or jewelry ( U.S.) consists of decorative items worn for personal adornment, such as brooches, rings, necklaces, earrings, pendants, bracelets, and cufflinks. Jewellery may be attached to the body or the clothes. From a w ...
.
Early years
Klein was born on November 19, 1942, to a
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
family in
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
, New York City, the son of Flore (''née'' Stern; 1909–2006) and Leo Klein.
[Social Security Death Index
The Social Security Death Index (SSDI) was a database of death records created from the United States Social Security Administration's Death Master File until 2014. Since 2014, public access to the updated Death Master File has been via the Limit ...]
"> Leo had immigrated to New York from Hungary, while Flore was born in the United States to immigrants from
Galicia and
Buchenland,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
(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
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and matriculated at, but never graduated from, New York's
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) is a public college in New York City. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) and focuses on art, business, design, mass communication, and technology connected to the fashion industry. ...
, instead receiving an honorary doctorate 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,
.
He became a
protégé of
Baron de Gunzburg,
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. He was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at
New York Fashion Week
New York Fashion Week (NYFW), held in February and September of each year, is a semi-annual series of events in Manhattan typically spanning 7–9 days when international fashion collections are shown to buyers, the press, and the general pub ...
. He was hailed as the new
Yves Saint Laurent, and was noted for his clean lines.
Personal life
Klein married Jayne Centre, a
textile
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, different #Fabric, fabric types, etc. At f ...
designer, in 1964.
They have a daughter, television producer
Marci Klein
Marci Klein (born October 21, 1967) is an American television producer best known for her work on '' Saturday Night Live'' and ''30 Rock.'' She has won four Emmy Awards. She is the daughter of fashion designer Calvin Klein.
Early life and edu ...
, who is best known for her work on NBC's ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' and ''
30 Rock''. The couple divorced in 1974.
In September 1986, Klein married his assistant Kelly Rector in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus ( legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
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 after 20 years of marriage.
In 2003, Klein bought an ocean-front estate in
Southampton, New York, on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18 ...
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 in February 2017 for $12,850,000. In June 2015, Klein bought a mansion in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...
,
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, for $25 million.
Calvin Klein dated gay, ex-porn star Nicholas Gruber. Klein is a supporter of the U.S.
Democratic Party, having given over $250,000 to candidates and
PACs since 1980.
Awards
In 1974, Klein designed the tight-fitting signature jeans that would go on to gross $200,000 in their first week of sales.
In that same year he 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.
Other
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
"The Pick" is the 53rd episode of the sitcom ''Seinfeld''. It is the 13th episode of the fourth season, and first aired on December 16, 1992. In this episode, Elaine mistakenly mails out a Christmas card in which her nipple is exposed to all he ...
") of the television series ''
Seinfeld''.
Filmography
* ''The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale'' 1998 (voice)
See also
*
High culture
*
Jews in New York City
*
List of LGBT people from New York City
References
External links
Info and photos related to Calvin Klein at askmen.comCalvin Klein talks trends on VOGUE.COM*
ttp://mgross.com/writing/profiles/calvin-klein/ The Latest Calvin by Michael Gross, NY Magazine August 8, 1988
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Calvin
1942 births
Living people
American fashion businesspeople
American fashion designers
American people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
American people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent
Art Students League of New York alumni
Businesspeople from New York (state)
Fashion Institute of Technology alumni
Jewish fashion designers
LGBT fashion designers
American male voice actors
People from the Bronx
New York (state) Democrats
High School of Art and Design alumni
Bisexual men
American people of Jewish descent
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews