Certainly most people have heard of the Calvin Klein brand, but many do not know that this is actually the name of the creator of the brand.
The designer tried to keep his personal life as private as possible, but there is some information that was found about him.
For example, he has a famous, award-winning daughter and has been married twice.
Let’s take a closer look at the interesting life of this designer who may inspire some of us.
Calvin Klein was born in 1942 in the Bronx, New York, and is set to conquer the world in the 1980’s.
During World War II, the designer’s father decided to take his family from Hungary to find shelter in the United States.
Calvin’s grandmother was a seamstress and she was the one who influenced him the most because she worked with all kinds of materials and clothes, and he was very passionate about this.
Interestingly, Calvin grew up in the same neighborhood as Ralph Lauren.
Calvin said that Ralph always seemed to be a boy from a foreign country because of his clothing style.
The designer also said that as a child he preferred the minimal style.
Calvin’s mother supported him a lot and advised him to follow his passion, so he went to the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan.
No one knew that he would become known worldwide, in fact, his brand to be more exact.
He himself said that he did not even think that he would be running a global company in the future.
Calvin graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York in 1962 and in the 1960’s worked in several stores in New York.
The designer said that at one point he resigned after seeing a woman on the street “in the yellow suit with the yellow fox collar and cuffs, a yellow hat, a yellow handbag and yellow shoes”. He did not want to be one of the people who made such outfits possible.
In 1968 he founded his first company with his friend Barry K. Schwartz. He started a simple coat shop and would have been quickly forgotten if there had been no accident.
His first order was when a coat buyer from a major New York City clothing store got lost at the hotel where Calvin had his workroom. The woman went downstairs and ended up in Calvin’s store. Then she was very impressed with what she saw, so she placed a $ 50,000 order.
Calvin later launched a sportswear collection. The company was receiving more and more attention from the public and the press. In the 1970’s the company grew more and more and already produced shoes, scarves, belts, sunglasses, lingerie and eventually took the step to launch cosmetics and menswear.
In 1977 the company had $ 30 million in revenue.
The highlight was when Calvin Klein launched his first jeans collection, which revolutionized how people viewed fashion. In the first week of its launch, the signature jeans would gross $ 200,000.
In addition to Calvin’s style of creating clothes, he knew very well how to promote his products in front of people.
Calvin Klein was often seen at events and had a night life. He was often seen with Brooke Shields. People were very curious to know if there was anything between the designer and the actress.
Calvin did not give too many details about his private life, but it is known that he was married twice.
In 1964 he married Ayne Center, a textile designer and his Bronx sweetheart, but they divorced 10 years later. The two had a daughter together, Marci Klein.
Marci has won four Emmy Awards and is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Producer’s Guild of America.
Marci Klein is best known for producing Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock.
In an interview, she said that she always finds it funny when she sees her father’s name on her husband’s underwear.
In the 1980’s Calvin remarried Kelly Rector in Rome.
Kelly was Calvin’s assistant at the time. The press was very interested in the marriage of the two.
Although Kelly said she loved Calvin very much and got along very well, the two separated in 1996, but the divorce did not end until 2006.
In 2011, Calvin Klein stated that he had a relationship with model Nick Gruber. Calvin said he is very much in love and is experiencing a new lifestyle.
The two had a relationship for 2 years until they broke up in 2012.
December 7, 2016 in New York City
Later there was news that the designer has a new relationship with Kevin Baker. The couple made their first public appearance in 2016, when they came to the red carpet together at the American Ballet Theater’s Fall Gala.
Calvin Klein decided to sell his company to Phillips Van Heusen Corp. in 2002.
In recent years, Calvin has decided not to make public appearances and is living his life in a private way.
He certainly doesn’t have to worry about money and can live quietly and privately, his fortune being $ 700 million.
