Calvin Klein: American fashion designer (1942-) | Biography, Facts, Information, Career, Wiki, Life

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 jewelry.

Early years

Klein was born to a Hungarian Jewish family in The Bronx, the son of Flore (née Stern) and Leo Klein. Leo had immigrated to New York from Hungary, while Flore was born in the United States to an immigrant from Austria and an American dentist.

Klein went to Isobel Rooney Middle School 80 (M.S.80) as a child. He attended the High School of Art and Design and matriculated at, but never graduated from, New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, receiving an honorary doctorate in 2003. He did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an oldline 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 a childhood friend, Barry K. Schwartz.

Klein was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish immigrant community in the Bronx, along with Robert Denning and Ralph Lauren. He became a protégé 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 City Fashion Week. He was hailed as the new Yves Saint Laurent, and was noted for his clean lines.