Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer 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 perfumes, watches, and jewellery.

Early years

Klein was born on November 19, 1942, to a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York City, the son of Flore (''née'' Stern; 1909–2006) and Leo Klein.Social Security Death Index"> Leo had immigrated to New York from Hungary, while Flore was born in the United States to immigrants from

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

and Buchenland, Austria-Hungary (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 and matriculated at, but never graduated from, New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, 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,

Barry K. Schwartz Barry K. Schwartz (born May 25, 1942) is an American businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner, and a former horse racing industry executive. Schwartz's father, a grocer, was murdered when Barry was twenty-one years old. Schwartz grew up in a ...

. He became a

protégé Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...

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. He was hailed as the new Yves Saint Laurent, and was noted for his clean lines.

Personal life

Klein married Jayne Centre, a textile 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 ed ...

, who is best known for her work on NBC's '' Saturday Night Live'' and ''

30 Rock ''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', takes ...

''. The couple divorced in 1974. In September 1986, Klein married his assistant Kelly Rector in Rome 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 (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

and demolished it to build a $75 million glass-and-concrete mansion. In 2015, he put his

Miami Beach, Florida Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. It was incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on natural and artificial island, man-made barrier islands between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the ...

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, California, 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 ''

''. A fictionalized version of him also appears in season 4, episode 12 (" The Pick") of the television series ''

Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. It aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, over nine seasons and List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It stars Seinfeld as Jerry Seinfeld ( ...

''.

Filmography

* ''The Emperor's New Clothes: An All-Star Illustrated Retelling of the Classic Fairy Tale'' 1998 (voice)

References

External links

Info and photos related to Calvin Klein at askmen.com

Calvin 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