Sexuality is not a vice: all about designer Calvin Klein and his brand. Calvin Klein - biography and personal life Calvin klein biography

American designer Calvin Klein has repeatedly excited the public with non-standard solutions and ideas. The couturier gained popularity thanks to the ingenious and completely inimitable advertising campaigns of his product collections.

Childhood and youth

Calvin Klein was born on November 19, 1942, the son of Jewish immigrants living in New York. Also in adolescence he began to take an interest in the profession of fashion designer and often drew outfits for men and women. After receiving a certificate of secondary education, Calvin entered the New York High School of Art and Design, after which he continued his studies at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

In the mid-1960s, Klein worked in various New York ateliers. There he trained as a tailor and fashion designer. By the end of the 1960s, Klein was ripe for starting his own firm. His friend Barry Schwartz provided the necessary capital ($10,000) and Calvin Klein Ltd was founded in 1968. Schwartz handled the business while Klein handled the design.

Initially, Schwartz and Klein's company made raincoats (at first they were sewn by a single seamstress), but subsequently the scope of activities expanded. So, since the early 1970s, the company has already produced sports and casual clothes. The rapid success of the brand was due, among other things, to the following factor: the owner of a popular clothing store somehow accidentally visited Klein's establishment and placed an order immediately for $50,000.

Such an influx of funds accelerated the development of the enterprise, and Kelvin quickly gained popularity as a lover of laconic clothing, with a tight, neat cut.

From the biography of the fashion designer, it is known that from the very first years of his success he used the money he earned and his position for his own pleasure. Even at a time when the advertising of his collections did not yet cause collective hysteria among American moralists, he was by no means a role model.

The couturier did not miss a single party in the popular New York nightclub of the 70s "Studio 54", where he roamed all night in the company of Bianca Jagger and other bohemian characters. The designer drank heavily, experimented with drugs endlessly, and his personal life was extremely chaotic. Subsequently, Klein called these years of his life insane.

Fashion and design

In the early 80s, an advertising campaign for Klein jeans was launched. Prior to this, jeans were considered clothes that were not worthy of the attention of fashion designers. Kelvin changed the public's mind about this element of the wardrobe. The jeans were promoted with an aggressive and bold advertising campaign. The model broadcast from the screens: “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins” (“There is nothing between me and my jeans”). It is known that in the first week after the launch of the advertising campaign, 200 thousand pairs of jeans were sold.

In parallel with clothing and accessories (bags, scarves, belts), the perfume line also developed. In the 1980s, Obsession eau de toilette came out, then Eternity, and a couple of months later, Escape. Also appeared on sale and glasses under the brand name "Calvin Klein", and in the 1990s - home textiles.

In 1992, the fashion designer again shook the moral foundations of America by launching a collection of underwear. On the new posters of Klein, a semi-naked aspiring model sat in an embrace with rapper Marky Mark (future Hollywood star).

The youth greeted Klein's idea with a bang, and the older generation hastened to accuse Kelvin of using minors in filming close to pornographic.

True, here the moralists missed. At the time of filming, Kate Moss was already 18 years old, therefore, there could be no talk of sexual exploitation of minors, but the public did not care anymore. In August 1995, advertising posters and videos of Klein were banned from further display.

In 1993, Kelvin received an award from the Council of Fashion Designers of the United States, and in the nomination for both male and female. women's clothing. In the same 1993, the fashion designer received the America's Best Designer award and launched the world's first unisex perfume, CK One. However, in the 1990s, Klein gradually retired and did not design all the clothes that were sold under his name.

In 2003, a deal was concluded on the sale of the Calvin Klein brand group to the American company PVH (Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation). The Calvin Klein clothing collections, regardless of the year, had a simple, concise design with neat, strict lines. The main target audience of the brand is people under the age of 30, but many things are also suitable for older people.

The range includes not only clothes, but also accessories, shoes, underwear, toilet water(the most popular perfume is Euphoria perfume). If desired, in Calvin Klein stores you can dress from head to toe. On this moment"Calvin Klein" is worn by many Hollywood stars:, and.

Personal life

Calvin Klein has been on both sides of the barricades: he had long-term relationships with both women and men. The eminent designer married for the first time in 1964. Then a girl named Jane Senter became the chosen one of the trendsetter.

When the fashion designer got married, his bohemian lifestyle could not but affect his relationship with his wife. True, it is worth recognizing that the avid party-goer struggled to be an exemplary father to his daughter Marcy, but as a result, habits took over. Ten years later married life former lovers divorced. Now the daughter of Calvin Klein is the producer of the show "Saturday Night Live".

In 1986, the master again played a wedding, but evil tongues did not let up, claiming that the couturier just wants to hide his homosexuality. The second wife of the fashion designer was his assistant Kelly Rector. Calvin's personal life then seemed cloudless. The crazy years came to an end, and after a course of treatment in a specialized clinic, he said goodbye to drug addiction.

Together with his young wife, Klein settled in a new mansion on the coast. Bad habits were replaced by swimming and jogging on the beach. Despite the idyll that reigned in the relationship, having celebrated the 20th anniversary of the marriage, the master put an end to it.

Later it turned out that the reason for the breakup was Calvin's affair with one of his fashion models. It is known that in 2010 Klein met with a former pornographic actor and bisexual Nick Gruber, who was 48 years younger than him. The couple separated in 2012 due to Gruber's substance abuse issues.

According to the Western media, now Kelvin is not alone. He has a romantic relationship with fashion model Kevin Baker. The young man for a couple of years was considered the main muse of the designer. Together with Klein, he repeatedly attended social events. Also, the paparazzi often photographed the couple during a joint pastime. These pictures became the reason for the spread of rumors about the novel.

Calvin Klein now

Back in 2003, Kelvin sold his underwear, footwear, watch, shirt and perfume business to the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation.

In early August 2016, designer Raf Simons became the creative director of Calvin Klein and presented his first collection to fashion lovers. The show "Calvin Klein: Fall-Winter 2017/2018" was called by critics an ode to America: the collection, like a mosaic, is very eclectic.

According to the eminent couturier, it reflects different eras, different styles and images. So, vinyl raincoats and dresses are a reminder of pop art and Andy Warhol, denim combinations are a nod to the founder of Calvin Klein, cowboy boots and a US flag in the form of a print are a tribute to American culture.

It is worth noting that the collection turned out to be extremely versatile. Men's images alternated with women's, while the clothes were almost identical. Tops, coats, straight cut, loose trouser suits, leather and denim sets were liked by the audience present at the show.

To this day, Calvin Klein products can be ordered on the official website of the company. Also, the clothes of this brand are presented in the catalogs of numerous online stores.

Condition assessment

For 2017, Klein is in the top 25 richest people in Hollywood. It is known that in addition to the designer, whose income is $ 700 million a year, this list also includes actors, and.

1. Calvin Klein was born November 19, 1942 in the New York area of ​​the Bronx in a family of Hungarian Jews who immigrated to the United States. His grandmother worked as a dressmaker, and thanks to her Klein learned to sew.

2. Calvin Klein graduated from the High School of Art and Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology. In 2003, he was named its honorary doctorate.

3. In 1964, Klein married Jane Senter. The designer's first marriage lasted 10 years and ended in a scandalous separation.

4. In 1968, Calvin Klein founded Calvin Klein Inc with an initial capital of $10,000. The money was given to Klein by childhood friend Barry Schwartz.

5. Initially, under the Calvin Klein brand, only men's clothing. After rave reviews from the fashion press (in 1969, Klein appeared on the pages of American Vogue), the designer decided to supplement the collections with a line of women's clothing and underwear.

6. Klein was the first to introduce the men's double-breasted coat into the women's wardrobe. He was the first to create a collection of lingerie, in which he adapted men's boxers with a wide elastic band.

7. In 1973, Klein received the prestigious Coty American Fashion Critics Award and became the youngest designer in history to receive the award. Subsequently, Klein received the Coty Award twice: in 1974 and in 1975.

10. Calvin Klein's daughter Marcy is a well-known television producer and a four-time Emmy Award winner. She is the co-producer of one of the most popular television shows in the US, Saturday Night Live on NBC.

11. In 1986, Klein married for the second time to photographer Kelly Rector, an employee of his company. However, this marriage lasted enough: the couple divorced in 2006.

12. After breaking up with his second wife, Calvin Klein announced his homosexuality. Until 2012, he dated porn star Nick Gruber, who was 48 years younger than Klein.

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22.05.15 13:13

Remember the curiosity from the cult comedy "Back to the Future"? Marty McFly's young mother (during the hero's journey into the past) saw the inscription on his underpants and began to call the "alien" Calvin Klein? At the time when this movie was filmed, the fashion designer was at the peak of popularity. The biography of Calvin Klein is like the embodiment of the notorious American dream ...

Biography of Calvin Klein

If there is both talent and perseverance

He was born into a poor Jewish family living "in the backyard" of the Big Apple, in the Bronx. The father, a small businessman, named his son, who was born on November 19, 1942, Kelvin Richard. The boy showed artistic inclinations early (he painted really well, this skill came in handy later, when Kelvin had to earn extra money with street portraits). Therefore, as a teenager, he became a student at the Higher School of Art, and after that the creative biography of Calvin Klein continued at the Fashion Institute of Technology.

For almost six years, the future famous couturier wandered from one New York fashion designer to another, but the role of an assistant did not suit the ambitious guy. “I really like that in our country everyone has a chance to fly very high if you have talent and are ready to work hard,” Klein himself later said. He took full advantage of this chance, because perseverance and efficiency (as well as the talent bestowed from above) were not to be occupied by the novice designer.

Lady Luck

And our hero, as they say, smiled at Lady Luck herself. When Calvin, in coordination with friend Barry Schwartz, sewed the first collection, he received permission to show it in the building of a large hotel. In the same place (but on a different floor) was a luxurious boutique. Somehow, its director made a mistake on the floor and saw Klein's work. The businessman really liked the models of the young designer, he immediately placed an order for a large amount. However, maybe it's just a legend?

Jeans on the catwalk!

When Klein had money, he was seriously swirled by the bohemian whirlpool. He became friends with Andy Warhol, was a regular at the controversial Studio 54 nightclub, drank heavily and experimented with illegal psychotropic substances. Already in adulthood, he himself will call these years of burning life "insane". But even in times of serious spree, the fashion designer did not stop working. Couturier jeans became wildly popular in the late 1970s - before him, the representatives of "High Fashion" considered denim clothing to be rather plebeian. Klein enlisted young talent Brooke Shields as a model and came up with a sexy ad with the slogan "There's nothing between me and my jeans!" He was almost reproached for child pornography, but the success was obvious!

Preaching unisex

After treatment in a specialized center, the “crazy years” came to an end. The fashion designer has settled down. But the recipe for success remained the same - in the early 1990s, half-naked Kate Moss and rapper Marky Mark (future Hollywood star Mark Wahlberg) became the heroes of his new advertising posters. They were slender, young, and both wore Klein's clothes.

It turns out that Klein became the ideological successor of couturiers who preached unisex. The youth met this idea of ​​​​the master with enthusiasm, it turned out that jeans, jackets, caps from Calvin Klein can be worn by both girls and boys. The adults shook their finger at the impudent designer again. They also reminded the American of his courage: in 1995, teenage posters and commercials advertising the master's clothes were banned. And four years later, posters were called too frivolous, which showed a new line of teenage underwear. He just always knew how to "keep his nose in the wind" and knew what the public wanted from him.

By the 2000s, he had played enough of these games, and a new round took place in the biography of Calvin Klein: the couturier sold his company. The deal was not cheap: $430 million.

Personal life of Calvin Klein

The first pancake is lumpy

When the fashion designer got married (in 1964), his bohemian lifestyle could not but affect his relationship with his wife Jane. True, they tried to be exemplary parents for their daughter Marcy. But ten years later, a divorce followed. A few years later, Marcy will survive the terrible: she was kidnapped and demanded a ransom, but everything ended well.

20 years of marriage and ... young boyfriends

In 1986, the master got married again, but the evil tongues did not let up, claiming that he just wants to hide his homosexuality. The second wife of the fashion designer was his assistant Kelly Rector. Calvin Klein's personal life then seemed cloudless. Together with his young wife, he settled in a new mansion on the coast. Bad habits were done away with: they were replaced by swimming and jogging on the beach. With Kelly, Calvin lived for a long time, but having celebrated the 20th anniversary of marriage, he put an end to it. And later it turned out that the scandalous fashion designer really had boyfriends. Among them is a young guy-model Nick Gruber ...

The brand began with Calvin Klein Limited, a small shop in the York Hotel in New York; The company's starting capital was only $10,000. Calvin presented his first collection - a selection of coats and raincoats for men and women - in the New York store "Bonwit Teller".

In 1969, Calvin first appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine. In 1971, the collection of clothes for women was replenished with a selection of tracksuits, classic blazers and underwear.

In 1973, Klein received his first Coty (Coty American Fashion Critics' Award) for a collection of women's clothing.

In 1977, the company's revenues amounted to $30 million; by that time Fashion house already held licenses for scarves, shoes, belts, fur and dark glasses. The share of the founders of the company - Calvin and Barry - accounted for 4 million dollars. Meanwhile, the range of the House's products continued to grow - the company received licenses for cosmetics, jeans and menswear.

In 1978, Klein sold over 200,000 new jeans in his first week of trading.

In the late 70s, "Calvin Klein" tried to break into the perfume and cosmetic markets; alas, failure awaited them here - and significant costs.

In the 80s, at the height of the absolutely crazy wave of success of designer jeans - one model of these jeans Calvin once created by simply placing his logo on the back pocket - Klein released new hit; the new "boxers" for men and women were an instant hit. According to rumors, for the first year, Calvin received $ 70 million on these “boxers”.

In the 90s, CK underwear was advertised on giant billboards; flaunted on these billboards Mark Wahlberg (Mark Wahlberg). In the future, underwear from Klein has not lost its popularity; from a certain moment, the name Kelvin became a household name in relation to linen.

Best of the day

In the early 1980s, sales growth continued; later, however, the situation changed. The designer began to be haunted by problems of all kinds - financial troubles, licensing conflicts and a strong drop in sales.

At the end of 1987, Calvin Klein Industries almost sold Triangle Industries - and only the fall of the stock exchange managed to prevent this.

In 1993, Kelvin was recognized as "America's Best Designer"; it seemed that the dark time for "Calvin Klein" was over. Alas, the joy was premature - in 1999 the company was again put up for sale. For 7 months, Klein did not manage to find a decent buyer; the advertisement for the sale was withdrawn.

Still, Kelvin managed to sell his offspring, but only in December 2002; Phillips Van Heusen Corp bought his empire. According to indirect data, this purchase cost 400 million in cash, 30 million in shares and the renewal of licenses and rights to royalties for another 15 years. It is known that the initiator of the transaction was the CEO of "Phillips Van Heusen Corp" Bruce Klatsky. In the hands of the new owner, the Fashion House received a second wind and is functioning quite successfully to this day. Klein continued to focus on design, but for the most part moved away from management processes.