There are two famous people named Kevin Klein. They are united by the fact that both of them were born in the United States in the forties of the last century. Only Kevin Delaney Klein, a native of Missouri, became a Hollywood actor, and his full namesake, distinguished only by his middle name - Richards, founded a powerful corporation in the world of high fashion. We will talk about him. The designer, of course, does not have his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, but he is also world famous. And the rays of glory in which he bathes are truly golden. Because Calvin Clein. Inc, founded in 1968, continues to make a profit. This fashion house has gradually become a recognized brand name. What does it mean to "dress from SK", read in this article.
Designer's biography. Career start
Kevin Richard Klein (we often pronounce his last name as Kline, which is wrong) was born in 1942, five years earlier than his namesake, who later conqueredHollywood. According to the zodiac sign, the star designer is Scorpio: he celebrates his birthday on November 19th. His father was a middle-class Jewish businessman who lived in the Bronx, at the time a suburb of New York. Little Kevin has shown a craving for beauty since childhood. Therefore, his father did not stint and gave his son a prestigious education. Kevin Klein graduated from the High School of Art when he was only eighteen years old. He already knew for sure what he wanted to become, but decided to continue his education and studied at the Institute of Fashion Technology for another two years. Having received a ticket to adulthood in 1962, Kevin worked for about six years in various design houses in New York, not staying anywhere for long.
Start your own business
Working in fashion houses did not give Kevin any satisfaction of he althy ambitions, nor sufficient means of subsistence. In a word, nothing but invaluable experience. He even had to earn extra money from time to time as a street artist. In 1968, his childhood friend Barry Schwartz inspired him - spiritually and financially - to open his own fashion house. The company was named Calvin Klein Ltd, and was registered in New York. Initially, the company was engaged in the development of outerwear for men. It wasn't until the 70s that Kevin Klein ventured into the design of women's toilets. Glory did not come to him immediately, but it did not take long to wait. Already five years after the founding of the company, the designer received the prestigious Coty award in the fashion world. And he received this prize for three years in a row.
The culprit of logomania
Jeans in American society have always been considered something like workwear. Decorate overalls and overalls - who would come up with that? Only to such a scandalous guy as Klein. In 1978, the fashion world was shaken up when models wearing "designer jeans" took to the runway. The label "SK" (an abbreviation of Calvin Klein), flaunted on the back of a pants pocket, became the first sign of the boom that swept the world in the late 70s, called "logomania". The advertising campaign promoting jeans was also extraordinary. Kevin Klein has released a poster that mimics Leonardo Da Vinci's famous masterpiece The Last Supper. Half-naked models of both sexes sat at the table in poses that completely copied the apostles and Jesus Christ. They were wearing only jeans. The poster was called "The Last Supper from Klein". And although the designer had to satisfy the claim of the Roman Catholic Church by paying a million dollars, the advertising campaign was a success. When the 15-year-old model flirtatiously stated in the video that "there is nothing between me and my Calvins," many snobs considered the slogan a sign of vulgarity, but the level of sales showed that it worked.
Inventor of casual and unisex styles
In 1992, Kevin Klein released a promotional poster featuring scantily clad rapper Marky Mark and young model Kate Moss. People of different sexes flaunted the same model of clothing. Therefore, the designer is considered the godfather of the unisex style (that is, clothes that suit both women and men). The fashion king of the New Worldstopped there. He launched a new concept in the fashion world - designer clothes in casual style. This word means "random", but its more accurate meaning is "situation". For a walk in the park or a hike in nature, as well as for a youth party and a dinner party, we wear completely different clothes.
Corporation Expansion
At the same time, when the world was watching films with Kevin Klein, almost the namesake of the designer, he himself was methodically expanding the boundaries of his fashion empire. In 1982, when the film "Sophie's Choice" was released, where the actor played one of the main roles, the king of the American fashion world took up underwear. Clothes, accessories and shoes created by his house were intended for the young and beautiful - another secret of Klein's success. His firm deliberately does not sew oversized sizes. Such clothes are not for obese people. Tenderness, youth and a certain frivolity - these are the main associations that products under the SK label evoke. But even in such a seemingly win-win business, unforeseen difficulties arose. In 1999, when the actor starred in the film A Midsummer Night's Dream, the designer once again caused a scandal with his promotional campaign. Images of lightly dressed teenagers and children showing off a new collection of underwear shocked the guardians of morality.
Accessories from CK
Everything should be perfect in a person - from shoes to a pin in a tie. The designer shared this truth by adding watches to clothes, underwear and shoes. Kevin Klein in 1997signed a contract with the Swiss company The Swatch Group Ltd, which has already gained credibility among chronometer manufacturers. So, the cherished marking "Made in Swiss" has now begun to decorate wristwatches - men's and women's - from SK. The designer applied a wise pricing policy to these products. Excellent design and reliable Swiss movement can be purchased at a relatively low price. The development of models along with the master was carried out by the leading designer of the house, Francisco Costa. The watches of this brand are characterized by elegance and careful study of every detail.
Kevin Klein Toilet Water
The designer did not go unnoticed and perfumes. The powerful house began to develop new scents - women's, men's, unisex. Since clothes from Kevin Klein are designed for the young and beautiful, the designer did not deviate from this target audience in perfumery products. The smells of eau de toilette and perfume are light, naive and at the same time bewitching. In women's toilet water there is immediacy and outrageousness. For the stronger sex, the designer reserved masculinity, passion, sensuality. This unisex perfume will allow you to plunge headlong into the atmosphere of American glamour. The house of SK loves to release paired fragrances created for lovers - they complement each other.
Private life
The first time the designer married back in 1964. Soon his wife, Jane Senter, had a daughter, Marcy. But ten years later the marriage broke up. Four years later, in 1978, the girl was kidnapped for ransom. Nine hours later, the $100,000 fee was paid and the child was released. But the kidnappers were also arrested. In 1986, the designer married a second time, taking his assistant Kelly Rector as his wife. Their marriage lasted until 2006. After the divorce, the designer began dating bisexual Nick Gruber. Former porn actor and Kevin Klein - a photo of this unusual couple flew around all the magazines about the life of stars! Gruber was forty-eight years younger than Klein. But after the young man became too addicted to drugs, the couple broke up. It happened in 2012.
