Calvin Richard Klein was born on November 19, 1942. He is an American fashion designer who started a company in 1968. This company later became known as Calvin Klein. In addition to designing clothing, he has also created different types of perfumes, watches, and jewellery under his name.
Early life and education
Klein was born on November 19, 1942, in the Bronx, New York City. He is the son of Flore (born as Stern; 1909–2006) and Leo Klein. His father was born in Boiany, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) and moved to New York. Klein was born in the United States to parents who were immigrants from Galicia and Bukovina, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine/Romania).
As a child, Klein attended J.H.S. 80 in the Bronx. He received a diploma from the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. After graduating, he enrolled at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology. He left the school for six months after his first year but returned to complete his degree.
Klein was one of several design leaders who grew up in the Jewish community in the Bronx, along with Ralph Lauren and Robert Denning.
Career
In 1962, Klein completed his training at a long-established company that made coats and suits, called Dan Millstein. He worked for five years designing clothes at other shops in New York City.
In 1968, Klein started his first company with his childhood friend, Barry K. Schwartz. When Schwartz thought about buying a supermarket in Harlem, Klein told him he wanted to "design affordable clothes with a simple style." When Klein asked Schwartz for money to begin his own work, Schwartz said, "You've got it." Schwartz also helped manage Klein’s business. After leaving his job at the manufacturer, Klein set up an office in a hotel room, began designing coats, and later showed his designs to Bonwit Teller, where a buyer approved them.
Klein became a student of Baron de Gunzburg, who introduced him to important people in New York’s fashion world. Before his first major success with a jeans line, he was quickly recognized for his talent after his first major presentation at New York Fashion Week. He was compared to Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) and known for his simple, clean designs.
In 1974, Klein created a popular jeans style that sold $200,000 in its first week.
In 1998, Klein took part in a special reading of The Emperor's New Clothes for The Starbright Foundation, which helps sick children.
Personal life
Klein supports the U.S. Democratic Party and has donated more than $250,000 to candidates and political action committees (PACs) since 1980.
Klein married Jayne Centre, a textile designer, in 1964. Although they attended the same high school and grew up nearby in New York, they did not meet or begin dating until college. They have a daughter, Marci Klein, who is a television producer best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. The couple divorced in 1974.
In September 1986, Klein married his assistant, Kelly Rector, in Rome while they were on a business trip in Italy. Later, she became a well-known socialite photographer. They separated in 1996, and their divorce was finalized in April 2006.
From 2010 to 2012, Klein dated Nicholas Gruber, a former adult film actor who is 47 years younger than him. In 2016, Klein began dating model Kevin Baker.
For many years, Klein owned a home in Fire Island Pines, New York, located on Fire Island. He hosted friends such as artist Andy Warhol, Studio 54 owner Steve Rubell, fashion designer Chester Weinberg, and media mogul David Geffen. Although he sold the property in 1995, it is still known as "The Calvin Klein House."
In 2003, Klein purchased an ocean-front estate in Southampton, New York, on Long Island. He demolished it to build a $75 million glass-and-concrete mansion. In 2015, he listed his Miami Beach, Florida, mansion for sale at $16 million. The home sold for $12,850,000 in February 2017. In June 2015, Klein bought a mansion in Los Angeles, California, for $25 million.
Awards and honors
In 1974, Klein became the first designer to win an award for Outstanding Design in Men's and Women's Wear at the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) award show. In 1983, he was named to the International Best Dressed List. He also received CFDA awards in 1981, 1983, and 1993.
In 2003, Klein received an honorary doctorate from the Fashion Institute of Technology.
In popular culture
In season 3, episode 15 ("The Bubble") of the TV show 30 Rock, Klein appeared briefly. In the 2026 TV series Love Story, Alessandro Nivola played the role of Klein.