Calvin Richard Klein (born November 19, 1942) is an American fashion designer. In 1968, he launched the company that later became Calvin Klein. In addition to clothing, he has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewellery.
Klein was born on November 19, 1942, to a Jewish family in the Bronx, New York the son of Flore (née Stern; 1909–2006) and Leo Klein.[1][2] His father was born in Boiany, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) and had immigrated to New York.[3] He was born in the United States to immigrants from Galicia and Bukovina, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine).[4]
Klein did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an old line cloak-and-suit manufacturer, Dan Millstein,[7] and spent five years designing at other New York City shops.[8]
In 1968, Klein launched his first company with his childhood friend Barry K. Schwartz.[9][10] When Schwartz was consideringt buying a supermarket in Harlem, Klein informed him that he wanted to "design medium priced clothes with a clean look."[11] "When I said I needed money to start out on my own, he said 'You've got it,'" Klein said.[11] Schwartz also became his business manager.[11] After leaving his manufacturing job, Klein set up an office in a hotel room, began designing coats, and eventually brought his creations to Bonwit Teller, where a buyer liked them.[11]
He became a protégé of Baron de Gunzburg,[10] who introduced him to the New York elite fashion scene 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.[citation needed]
In 1974, Klein designed the tight-fitting signature jeans that went on to gross $200,000 in their first week of sales.[12]
In 1998, Klein participated in a celebrity reading of The Emperor's New Clothes for The Starbright Foundation to benefit ill children.[13]
Personal life
Klein is a supporter of the U.S. Democratic Party, having given over $250,000 to candidates and PACs since 1980.[14]
Relationships
Klein married Jayne Centre, a textile designer, in 1964.[15] Despite going to the same high school and growing up next door in New York, Klein and Centre didn't meet and begin dating until college.[11] They have a daughter, television producer Marci Klein,[16] who is best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. The couple divorced in 1974.[15]
In September 1986, Klein married his assistant Kelly Rector in Rome while they were on a buying trip in Italy.[15] She later became a well-known socialite photographer. After separating in 1996, they divorced in April 2006.[10]
From 2010 to 2012, Klein dated gay ex-porn star Nicholas Gruber, who is 47 years younger than him.[17][18][19] In 2016, Klein began dating model Kevin Baker.[20]
In 2003, Klein bought an ocean-front estate in Southampton, New York, on Long Island and demolished it to build a $75 million glass-and-concrete mansion.[10][24] In 2015, he put his Miami Beach, Florida mansion on the market for $16 million.[25] The Florida home sold for $12,850,000 in February 2017. In June 2015, Klein bought a mansion in Los Angeles, California, for $25 million.[26]
Klein made a cameo appearance in season 3, episode 15 ("The Bubble") of the television series 30 Rock.[31] A fictionalized version of him also appears in season 4, episode 12 ("The Pick") of the television series Seinfeld. The name Calvin Klein was used by Marty McFly in the 1985 film Back to the Future, after a woman sees his underwear.
↑ "Flore Klein". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
↑ "Max Stern". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
↑ "Max Stern". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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