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CALVIN KLEIN’S FASHIONABLE SUCCESS
“The soul of this man is his clothes.”
—William Shakespeare
At almost any clothing store in the world you can find racks filled with designer fashions—polo shirts with logos, jeans with designer names embroidered on back pockets. In fact, designer labels can be found on virtually every kind of apparel. This was not always the case; prior to the 1970s, designer fashions were found only in the most exclusive stores. But Calvin Klein changed all that. Calvin seemed to have a knack for fashion even as a child. Sometimes he would help his friends buy clothes. It was natural for Calvin to consider fashion as a career, and he studied at Manhattan’s Fashion Institute of Technology in hopes of becoming a designer.
For six long years after graduation Calvin struggled with low-paying jobs around New York’s fashion district. He believed that perhaps he was in the wrong industry, and he considered joining a family friend in the grocery business. Instead, his friend was so convinced of Calvin’s talent that he provided $10,000 in seed money to enable the fledgling designer to start Calvin Klein Ltd. In 1968 Calvin began by designing women’s coats. They were classy, simple, and elegant, and fitted right into the changing lifestyles of the era. Calvin seemed to have a knack for the tastes of the “post-hippy” generation. His comfortable, stylish, and relatively inexpensive clothes introduced the concept of designer fashion to an entire generation. By 1975 Klein had won three consecutive Coty awards and was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame.
CONSIDER THIS: What are you good at doing? What do you enjoy doing? Is there any way you can do it for a living? Can you use that talent in the work you are doing today?
Submitted by Richard
“The soul of this man is his clothes.”
—William Shakespeare
At almost any clothing store in the world you can find racks filled with designer fashions—polo shirts with logos, jeans with designer names embroidered on back pockets. In fact, designer labels can be found on virtually every kind of apparel. This was not always the case; prior to the 1970s, designer fashions were found only in the most exclusive stores. But Calvin Klein changed all that. Calvin seemed to have a knack for fashion even as a child. Sometimes he would help his friends buy clothes. It was natural for Calvin to consider fashion as a career, and he studied at Manhattan’s Fashion Institute of Technology in hopes of becoming a designer.
For six long years after graduation Calvin struggled with low-paying jobs around New York’s fashion district. He believed that perhaps he was in the wrong industry, and he considered joining a family friend in the grocery business. Instead, his friend was so convinced of Calvin’s talent that he provided $10,000 in seed money to enable the fledgling designer to start Calvin Klein Ltd. In 1968 Calvin began by designing women’s coats. They were classy, simple, and elegant, and fitted right into the changing lifestyles of the era. Calvin seemed to have a knack for the tastes of the “post-hippy” generation. His comfortable, stylish, and relatively inexpensive clothes introduced the concept of designer fashion to an entire generation. By 1975 Klein had won three consecutive Coty awards and was inducted into the Coty Hall of Fame.
CONSIDER THIS: What are you good at doing? What do you enjoy doing? Is there any way you can do it for a living? Can you use that talent in the work you are doing today?
Submitted by Richard