Klein, Calvin, 1942- (1942-)
Dates
- Existence: 1942-
Biography
Calvin Richard Klein was born on November 19, 1942, in the Bronx, New York to Jewish-Hungarian immigrants. He first attended the High School of Industrial Art, then studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Upon graduating in 1962 at age 20, he began apprenticing for a coat and suit manufacturer on Seventh Avenue. Six years later, he opened his own company (with the help of Barry Schwartz, a childhood friend), designing simple, minimalist garments which contrasted with the flower-power aesthetic of the period. Klein was in charge of all things creative while Schwartz ran the business side of the company. Klein's early designs were primarily suit and coat styles, but he gradually expanded into women's sportswear. Bonwit Teller was an early supporter of Klein, selling the designer's goods in their department stores. By the early 1970s, Klein was selling millions of dollars worth of products. Klein was awarded three consecutive Coty Awards from 1973 to 1975. By entering the denim market in the mid 1970s and later licensing his name to other products, Klein was able to gain a large following. The advertisements for Calvin Klein products became infamous in the 1990s; attractive, young models wearing Klein's clothes and posing "provocatively" made Klein a household name. Klein sold his company in 2003 to Phillips–Van Heusen for an estimated $430 million. Klein published a memoir in 2017 discussing his career.
Found in 41 Collections and/or Records:
1991 December, 1991
This folder contains a column on tradition versus the avant garde and black and white photos of ensembles by Calvin Klein, Donna Karan, Bill Blass, Norma Kamali and Christian Lacroix, and Carolina Herrera.
1992 April, 1992
This folder contains a column on French, American and Italian fashion designers and black and white photocopies of photos of ensembles by Calvin Klein, Josie Natori and one 8x10" black and white photo of lingerie by Josie Natori.
1992 May, 1992
This folder contains a column on Yves Saint Laurent and Calvin Klein and black and white photocopies of photos of dresses by Calvin Klein and black and white photos of ensembles by Yves Saint Laurent.
1993 January, 1993
Calvin Klein, 1971, 1971
This folder contains one 8x10 black and white fashion photograph of a Calvin Klein ensemble from 1971.
Calvin Klein sketches
Sketches (watercolor with swatches) of womenswear, signed jointly by Klein and Edward W. Kerson.
Calvin Klein tie swatch books, 1982-1986
This collection contains twenty-seven 7 x 4 1/2" ringed booklets containing textile swatches used for Calvin Klein ties, with accompanying notations on style numbers and pricing.
CFDA Lambert CFDA Files to be Scanned, 1944-1979, CFDA winners, 1944-1979
This folder contains correspondence, 8 x 10 black and white photographs of designer portraits and ensembles by the designers, and biographies of winning designers. Designers photographed include: Mollie Parnis, Halston, Trigere, David Evans, Calvin Klein, Adrian, Arnold Scaasi, Anna Potok, John Weitz, Thomas Brigance, Sydney Wragge, Bill Blass, and Willi Smith.
CFDA Press Kit 1984, 1984
This folder contains press releases, 15 8x10 black and white photographs of Giorgio Armani, Issey Miyake, Perry Ellis, and Bruce Weber, and biographies of designers, for Armani, Miyake, Weber, Diane DeWitt, and Perry Ellis, and a press kit for Calvin Klein containing 6 8x10 black and white photographs, press releases, and biographies.
Christian Dior + Calvin Klein Pics, 1971, 1973, 1971, 1973
This folder contains black and white 8x10 fashion photographs, one from the Christian Dior Spring 1972 collection designed by Hubert Latimer and one from Calvin Klein's Fall 1973 collection.