Kamali, Norma (1945-)

Dates

• Existence: 1945-

Biography

American fashion designer. Few designers have managed to be as influential as Norma Kamali without extensive press coverage. Specializing in ready-to-wear garments, Kamali introduced the world to the concepts of high-heeled sneakers and mix-and-match bikinis, originated the ‘sleeping bag’ coat and was the first designer to see the wide sartorial possibilities of both sweatshirt jersey and parachute silk.

Kamali received her training at the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, graduating in 1964 with a degree in fashion illustration. Kamali then worked as an airline employee, a job that introduced her to the pleasures of transatlantic shopping. In 1968, inspired by the fashions she saw in ‘swinging’ London, Kamali opened a boutique on 53rd Street in Manhattan. Mixed in with her British finds were her original designs, featuring appliqués of lizard, leather and snakeskin and rhinestone-studded t-shirts. When she moved to Madison Avenue in 1973, a New York Times shopping column reported that she was showing simple, 1920s- inspired chemise dresses in printed crêpe de chine and chiffon, as well as tailored trouser suits. In 1974 Kamali began producing garments designed from military surplus parachute silk, such as draped jackets and trousers, billowy skirts and dresses that looked like partially deflated parachutes and incorporated the original ripcords into their design. In 1975 Kamali designed her successful ‘sleeping-bag’ coat, inspired by a camping trip. The down-filled coats were voluminous but light and warm, and have since become cold-weather staples. In the late 1970s, Kamali’s swimsuit line, whether structured maillots in white or gold lamé, recalling the glamour of 1940s Hollywood, or revealing bikinis with plunging v-necklines, cutouts and high-cut legs, also became a mainstay in the industry. In July 1978 Kamali restructured her business interests and started a new line, OMO (On My Own) at a new address on West 56th Street.

Kamali began the 1980s with a collection that took grey sweatshirt jersey out of the gymnasium and onto the street in the form of short dresses and skirts, leggings, jackets with nipped-in waists and strong shoulders. Kamali’s designs launched the fitness-wear craze of the 1980s and caused countless imitators. Her fall collection that year featured oversized plaid flannel jumpsuits, dresses and blouses paired with leggings and shown with thick socks and heavy boots. This became another defining 1980s ‘look’ that was copied by many designers and mass market manufacturers. Kamali concentrated on cotton Lycra body stockings next, which she said could be worn for everything from jogging to dancing, layered with other garments to create a variety of ensembles.

The decade was one of accolades for the designer; in 1981 she won the Coty Award for Design Innovation, followed by a Coty Award for women’s design in 1982. In 1983 she received both the Coty Hall of Fame Award and the Council of Fashion Designers of America award for outstanding women’s fashion. Her designs were featured on the cover of Vogue in June 1982 and again in May 1983.

Kamali works by draping fabric directly onto herself, favouring a 1940s-inspired, retrospective style that includes platform sandals, high-waisted trousers, pencil skirts, peplum jackets, leopard prints and exaggerated shoulder pads in both her personal wardrobe and in her collections. In 2002 Kamali was inducted into the Fashion Center Business Improvement District’s Fashion Walk of Fame for her ‘spirit of experimentation’.

Kamali is also known as an innovator in fashion marketing and merchandising. Her three story store on 57th Street houses her retail space, design studio, offices and a café that has been recognized for its cutting-edge interior design. In 1984 Kamali presented her designs in a video entitled Fall Fantasy. In 1996 Kamali became one of the first fashion designers to use the internet as a marketing tool when she simultaneously showed her fall collection on the runway and online. Throughout the early 2000s Kamali remained innovative in the design and marketing of her creations, maintaining an active website. In 2006 Kamali teamed up with the sporting equipment company Everlast to design a contemporary sportswear collection, and in 2008 she entered into a partnership with the mass retail chain Wal-Mart, where she has designed women’s apparel, children’s wear, footwear, accessories and home products.

Found in 20 Collections and/or Records: