Calvin Klein: A $10,000 Start, Logo Jeans and the Boxer Brief

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Calvin Klein grew up in the Bronx, in the same Jewish community that produced Ralph Lauren, and in 1968 started a company with childhood friend Barry K. Schwartz on $10,000, making coats out of the York Hotel in New York. A placement at Bonwit Teller led to a Vogue cover in September 1969 and Coty Awards in 1973, 1974 and 1975, the first making him the youngest winner. He then moved into denim, cutting jeans tighter and putting his name on the back pocket. Revenue reached $30 million by 1977, and licensing spread the name to shoes, belts, sunglasses and bedsheets; by 1981 he was earning $8.5 million a year.

A logo T-shirt began as a gift: assistant Jeffrey Banks silkscreened the company logo onto a brown shirt, Schwartz mistook it for a prototype, and buyers demanded it. In the early 1990s head of menswear John Varvatos merged the boxer and brief into the boxer brief, promoted by a 1992 campaign. Yet heavy advertising spending and struggling licensees strained finances until fragrance profits helped. In December 2002 the company was sold to Phillips-Van Heusen for about $400 million in cash, $30 million in stock and royalties estimated at $200 to $300 million over 15 years, and Klein departed in 2003.

The 1980 jeans ads shot by Richard Avedon featured 15 year old Brooke Shields and were banned by some TV stations.
A 1995 denim campaign drew criticism over the models' youth and was pulled.
A 2014 campaign with model Myla Dalbesio was criticized for being read as a plus size label.
Licensee Warnaco filed for Chapter 11 in 2001, and PVH bought it for $2.8 billion in 2013 to reunite the brand.
Global retail sales under the name reached $9 billion in 2022.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(16184)

The Art of Adult Friendship: Why Quality Matters More Than Quantity

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore how our understanding of friendship changes as we grow old...

9 Nov 18min

Summer Explained: The Science, History, and Traditions of the Warmest Season

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore summer, the season most closely associated with sunshine, ...

7 Nov 18min

Sir Patrick Stewart: From Shakespeare to Star Trek, the Life and Legacy of a Legend

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the extraordinary life of Sir Patrick Stewart, the acclaim...

7 Nov 49min

Larry David: The Genius of Social Awkwardness, Seinfeld, and Curb Your Enthusiasm

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the life and career of Larry David, the comedian, writer, ...

6 Nov 38min

Why Australian Shepherds Aren't From Australia

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the history of the Australian Shepherd, an intelligent, en...

5 Nov 45min

Labrador Retriever: From Newfoundland Fishing Dogs to Modern-Day Heroes

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable history of the Labrador Retriever, one of t...

4 Nov 53min

Discovering Ireland: A Journey Through History, Culture, and the Wild Atlantic Way

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of pplpod, we explore Ireland through the philosophy of slow travel: go slower, ...

3 Nov 48min

Willie Hutch: An Overnight I'll Be There Lyric and The Mack's Soundtrack

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!William McKinley Hutchins was born in Los Angeles in December 1944 and raised in Dallas, where h...

2 Nov 21min