Calvin Klein was born in 1942, inNew York, into a Jewish-Hungarain immigrant family. He attended theHigh SchoolofArtand Design and went on to study atNew York's Fashion Institute of Technology, but he never graduated. He became an apprentice, at Dan Millstein, a cloak and suit manufacturer, in 1962.
In 1968 he opened a coat shop in the York Hotel inNew York City, with $2000 of his own money and a $10,000 loan. Allegedly, Klein found success when a Bonwit Teller (an upmarket department store) buyer ended up in the store by accident and liked the range so much, placed a $50,000 order. This led to Calvin Klein's first range of coats for men and women, being launched at Bonwit Teller'sNew Yorkstore.
From this moment on Calvin Klein became a famous name in the fashion world, and in 1969, Klein appeared on the front cover of Vogue magazine. During the 70s, the Calvin Klein range expanded to include sportswear, blazers, scarves, shoes, belts, the highly successful line of jeans and sunglasses. In 1977, annual revenue for Calvin Klein was $30 million and Klein's personal income reached $8.5 million for the year.
Klein became known as the "supreme master of minimalism", due to the clean lines that his clothing often featured. During the mid 80s, Calvin Klein's range of jeans was at its most popular, and the Calvin Klein name on the back pocket of each pair was credited with being the main reason for this.
After a lull in success in the late 80s and early 90s, Klein successfully turned the company round and was named "America's Best Designer" in 1993. In 2002, the company was sold to shirt maker Phillips Van Heusen Corp for a fee that equated to between $630 - $730 million, made up of cash, stock and royalties.
Many famous supermodels and celebrities have starred in advertisements for Calvin Klein over the years. Perhaps the most famous is Mark Wahlberg, the well-known Hollywood actor, who modelled underwear for Calvin Klein. Such was the popularity of the advertising campaign, the range became known as "Calvins". Other famous faces to feature in Calvin Klein advertisements include Kate Moss, who found fame for her work with CK, Scarlett Johansson, Eva Mendes, Diane Kruger and many more.
Calvin Klein's range of sunglasses was first released in the mid 70s and is a mainstay of the Calvin Klein brand today. The designs are at the cutting edge of fashion, with high craftsmanship and a nod to classic designs. They use the latest technology and are designed to be practical and functional, as well as superbly stylish.
A perfect example of Calvin Klein sunglasses that are at the height of fashion, yet will remain as a design classic for years to come, are the Classic Rectangular Frame Havana sunglasses, available from Red Hot Sunglasses. These sunglasses come in crystal brown, grey horn and brown horn, and would make a perfect addition to any summer outfit.
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