Guide Note

Calvin Klein is an American designer who launched a clothing company in 1968 by the same name. Since the late 60's the line has grown from a coat shop to an extensive line of sportswear and evening wear for men and women, as well as a fragrance, footwear, and underwear business.

Fast Facts

1. Co. type: Apparel
2. HQ: U.S.
3. Co. founded: 1968
4. Origin: New York City, NY
5. Originally: York Hotel coat shop
6. Parent: Phillips Van Heusen
7. NYSE ticker: "CKI"
8. First face: Brooke Shields

In the Beginning

Klein began his business with $10,000 and a small coat shop, which soon led to a collection of coats for men and women. Known as the master of minimalism, Klein ventured into sportswear in 1971, and in 1973 was noted for his 74 piece womenswear collection. By the late 1970s, he added shoes, belts and menswear to his label which created an annual retail income of $100 million.

Controversial Ads

Along with these successful discoveries were a pair of designer jeans that would soon launch a highly publicized, yet controversial ad campaign with an under-aged model named Brooke Shields. This was the marketing of the mid 1970s and included featuring teens in sexual poses and at strange locales. This concept would return again but with more audience acceptance, as a young Mark Wahlberg would strip down in just his underwear to be photographed for a highly successful line of boxer briefs in the 1990s.

End of an Era

The company faced difficult times in the late 1980s with internal disagreements and the company came close to bankruptcy in 1992. Klein eventually sold his company in 2002 to Phillips Van Heusen.