Anne Klein – WikiAlpha

From WikiAlpha

ANNE KLEIN

Anne Klein was an innovator, a passionate creator and visionary who helped define the American fashion landscape with her eponymous brand.

Born

Dec 3, 1923 in Brooklyn

Died

1974 (age 50)

Other Names

Hannah Golofski

Education

Traphagen School of Fashion [1]]

Occupation

Fashion designer, businesswoman

Known For

Spouse(s)

Ben Klein (M.1942 -1958)

Chip Rubenstein (M.

Contents:

• The Brand
• Early years
• The Company (Today)
• International Locations
• Awards
• References
• External Links

The Brand

Hannah Golofski (Dec 3 1923 – XX, 1974), known professionally as Anne Klein, was an American fashion designer and businesswoman. She was the founder and designer of the brand Anne Klein.

Anne Klein was an innovator, a passionate creator and visionary who helped define the American fashion landscape with her eponymous brand. For over 50 years, Anne Klein has been synonymous with American sportswear.

In 1968, Anne Klein founded her namesake label, forever changing how women thought about and bought clothes. She was the first American designer to dress women in separates, offering them a range of jackets, tops and bottoms. In 1973, Anne competed in the Battle of Versailles, joining the likes of Oscar de la Renta and Bill Blass to put American fashion on the global map.

Over the years, a succession of designers have created clothing under the Anne Klein label, including Donna Karan, who began her career under Anne’s tutelage, Louis Dell’Olio and Isabel Toledo. The world of Anne Klein encompasses womenswear, accessories, footwear, watches, eyewear, jewelry, legwear,
sleepwear and more.

Today, the brand is doing more than simply meeting women’s fashion needs; it is celebrating her whole life by providing her with elevated essentials destined to live at the front of her closet and is available in over sixty countries in collaboration with global partners. In 2018, the brand celebrated its 50th anniversary as a women’s lifestyle collection dedicated to timeless American classics.

Anne Klein believed getting dressed should start with smart, beautiful clothing that makes women feel good. in this increasingly busy world, we have become more dependent than ever on clothes that can work as hard as we do, making Anne Klein’s original design ethos more relevant than ever before. “We exist to change women’s lives so they can change the world” Anne Klein.

As of July, 2019 Anne Klein is an American privately held company owned by WHP Global who acquired the brand in July 2019 (news release https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190717005129/en/WHP-Global-Launches-New-Brand-Management-Platform)

Biography

Born as Hannah Golofski in 1923, Anne Klein is a well-known fashion designer. While studying art at Girl’s Commercial High School, she discovered her talent for design and found a job in the garment making industry once she was done with high school. In a year’s time, she got employed at Varden Petites. There she re-launched the firm’s collection and introduced new trends and cuts of prêt-a-porter line plus an elegant clothing range, for young and slim women, known as Junior Miss.

Between 1937 and 1938, she studied at New York’s Traphagen School of Design to gain formal training in the field. With a background in arts, she did well in design school.

In the year 1948, she married Ben Klein, a manufacturer of clothes. Junior Sophisticates was a new company founded by her husband and there she confidently took the role of the head designer. Under her, the label saw good times and she transformed the variety of apparel available for small-sized women as herself. The label allowed such females to choose from an array of sophisticated styles; a choice they didn’t have before.
Klein was the first after Coco Chanel to adapt the clothing styles of men into the way outfits were designed and produced for women. She used ideas from menswear, such as jackets, suits and shirts to style them with a feminine touch. In the 1950s, she launched a range of clothes known as separates. These blouses, slacks, skirts and jackets could be put together to make several different combinations.

In 1960, when Anne and Ben ended their relationship, Anne’s association with her ex-husband’s brand also came to an end. Three years after her separation, she married again and opened her personal studio of design. Her specialty was to redesign the failing apparel lines of other brands. Although Anne was no longer married to Ben, she continued to use his last name.

In 1968, she established her eponymous company as the co-owner and director. The label was opened in collaboration with Gunther Oppenheim, known as the guru of fashion. The next decade saw an expansion of her business, over 750 department stores and boutiques in America shelved Anne Klein’s creations.

In 1973, she was among the ten eminent designers from America and France to receive an invitation for a fashion show aimed to raise funds for the renovations of Versailles. At this time, she approached Tomio Taki of Takihyo and convinced him to become one of the company’s partner with a share of twenty-five percent. Unfortunately, a year after this honor, in 1974 when Anne was fifty, she died of breast cancer, but her company remained intact and remained as a strong label in the world. The largest stake in her company after Anne’s death belonged to Taki and he had an influential say in the business.

Without a doubt, Anne was one of the most admired sportswear fashion designers in the United States. The clothes she made were not only fashionable but practical and smart as well. After the designer passed away, her company was revived by Louis Dell’Olio and Donna Karan until 1985. In 2001, Charles Nalon was appointed to transform the image of Anne Klein & Co., as much more modern and hip. Two years later The Jones Group took over the label.

The Company Today

Anne Klein is an American privately held company owned by WHP Global who acquired the brand in July 2019.
Today the brand sells a full lifestyle assortment from apparel, to footwear to watches to jewelry and is sold in 60 countries worldwide

Milestones / Timeline

YEAR

DATE

MILESTONE

QUOTE

NOTES

SOURCE

1923

December 3

Hannah Golofski born in Brooklyn

1937

Anne wins a scholarship to attend the Traphagen School for Fashion

Starts sketching on Seventh Ave professionally

1938

Anne works for Varden Petites

Elevates Junior Clothing from frilly “little girl” looks to a more refined grown up design. At age of 15, Anne gets first job as a sketcher for dress firms on 7th Avenue

1940

Anne designs for Maurice Rentner

First modern fashion line for young women

1940

Starts Junior Sophisticates with husband Ben Klein

First modern fashion line for young women

1950

Anne is the first to introduce separates

1954

Wins Mademoiselle Merit Award

1954

Wins Coty American Fashion Critics Award

First Win

1959

Wins Neiman-Marcus Fashion Leadership Award

First Win – International recognition

1961

One of a select group to win an American Creativity Award

1963

Begins Anne Klein Studio

at 57th Street

1964

Wins Lord & Taylor Award for independent thinking

Award first given to Albert Einstein

1968

Forms Anne Klein & Company

at 39th street

1968

“I could never design for a woman I couldn’t understand. — chic, casual, comfortable clothes with a classic core.”

1968

1968

April 23

First showing of Anne Klein & Company

“First total collection to be fully coordinated. It is a planned wardrobe of easy uncontrived clothes to wear from head to toe and day to night.”

WWD April 16, 1968

1969

Wins Neiman-Marcus Fashion Leadership Award

First designer to be a repeat winner

1970

Launches first designer shop-in-shop, Anne Klein Corner in Saks Fifth Avenue

1970

Wins Coty American Fashion Critics Award

First designer to be a repeat winner

1971

Named to the Coty Hall of Fame

8th Designer in 28 years

1973

Included as one of five designers invited to show at the legendary Battle of Versailles

Only female designer – American designers go on to upstage leading French to shift the balance of fashion influence moving forward

1974

Anne Klein passes away

Of Breast Cancer, known by few

1974

Donna Karan and Louis Dell’Olio take over

Holiday 1974 Collection

2001

Anne Klein immortalized on the Fashion Walk of Fame on Seventh Avenue in NYC

2003

The Jones Group purchase Anne Klein

2014

Sycamore Group purchases The Jones Group

TIMELINE

1923

Anne Klein born as Hannah Golofski in Brooklyn

Girls Commercial Highschool and won a scholarship to Traphagen School of Fashion

1938

At age of 15, Anne gets first job as a sketcher for dress firms on 7th Avenue

1942

Anne married Ben Klein

1954

Designs first collection for Junior Sophisticates, a company founded with husband Ben Klein

1954

COTY American Fashion Critics Award

1954

Mademoiselle Merit Award

1958

Anne divorced Ben

1959

Neiman Marcus Fashion Leadership Award

1961

American Creativity Award

1964

Lord & Taylor Award for Independent Thinking

1965

Designs collection for Mallory

1966

Opens Anne Klein Studio with second husband Chip Rubenstein. A lab where she fostered young designers, and which eventually became a licensing house.

1969

Neiman Marcus Fashion Leadership Award

1969

COTY Return Award – Anne Klein

1970

COTY American Fashion Critics Award

1971

Named to COTY Hall of Fame

1973

Battle of Versailles

1974

Anne passes away at the age of 50

1974

Donna Karan and Louis Dell ‘Olio take over design direction

1975

Chuck Howard and Peter Wrigley win COTY Menswear Award at Anne Klein Studio

1977

Donna Karan and Louis Dell ‘Olio win COTY award for Anne Klein

1985

Donna Karan leaves Anne Klein to begin her own women’s clothing line

1993

Louis Dell ‘Olio leaves Anne Klein

1993

Richard Tyler takes over design direction

1994

Patrick Robinson takes over design direction

1998

Ken Kaufman and Isaac Franco takes over design direction

1999

Kasper ALS acquired Anne Klein

2001

Anne Klein immortalized on the Fashion Walk of Fame on Seventh Avenue in NYC

2001

Charles Nolan takes over design direction

2003

The Jones Group purchases Anne Klein

2003

Michael Smaldone takes over design direction

2006

Isabel Toledo takes over design direction

2008

Ted Kim takes over design directions

2014

Sycamore Group purchases The Jones Group

2016

New brand vision and direction launches

2017

Anneklein.com launches

2018

2019

WHP Acquires the brand in July 2019

Articles & Resources

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/trends/a23741794/anne-klein-shopbazaar-50-years-exhibit/

Recognized as one of the groundbreaking designers to put American fashion on the map, Anne Klein wasn’t just a designer, she was a champion of authentic style and empowered the way women dressed. 50 years later, her legacy continues to influence contemporary elegance and inspire the modern woman.
Launched in the mid-sixties initially as a consulting design studio, Anne Klein used her skills and vision to help brands elevate their collections and built her reputation as an eminent designer and innovator of style. She eventually created her own label that started with sportswear and grew to include women’s separates, jewelry, and accessories.
Within a few years of creating the Anne Klein Company, her brand was projected to profit in the millions. The secret to Anne Klein’s success? She understood what the American woman wanted. It was never about fads, but rather focusing on wearable pieces that were versatile and classic to the core. Authenticity without restraint.
Anne Klein’s designs resonated deeply with the Harper’s BAZAAR woman, making a constant appearance on our pages and becoming a go-to brand for our editors over the years. Timeless, effortlessly stylish, and empowering, Anne Klein has and always will be a BAZAAR favorite.

This fall marks the 50th anniversary of Anne Klein. In honor of a half century of dressing woman and redefining American style, ShopBAZAAR partnered with the Anne Klein Company to feature a shoppable exhibit showcasing one-of-a-kind vintage pieces throughout the decades and invited industry leaders and entrepreneurs to discover her legacy and inspiring to create their own.

This fall marks the 50th anniversary of Anne Klein. In honor of a half century of dressing woman and redefining American style, ShopBAZAAR partnered with the Anne Klein Company to feature a shoppable exhibit showcasing one-of-a-kind vintage pieces throughout the decades and invited industry leaders and entrepreneurs to discover her legacy and inspiring to create their own.