With a mother already a part of the fashion industry it wasn’t long until Michael Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr) made his mark on the fashion scene.
At the tender age of 19, Kors began designing his clothing ranges while studying fashion design at one of the world’s most infamous colleges – the Fashion Institute of Techology in New York. In 1981 he launched his first womenswear collection which was met with great response and sold well in several of New York’s biggest retailers – Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
Continuing with his initial success Kors then moved to work with French fashion house Celine, here he held the role of creative director and women’s ready to wear designer, Kors received great praise for his ability to turn the French fashion house around with his innovative and yet simple designs.
In 2002, Kors developed his independent line further to include a menswear range. The year after, Kors left Celine to focus solely on his independent Michael Kors brand. This year saw the beginning of the biggest expansion phase that the brand would see. Kors expanded the brand to include jeans, women’s handbags and footwear. He also introduced his popular accessories ranges which included his infamous watch and sunglasses range.
Kors was passionate about his fashion philosophy acknowledging that he wanted to create clothes that people would want to wear. The majority of his designs built on simple clothing ideas in neutral colours.As the Kors brand grew in popularity, so did the support of its A-List celebrity fanbase. Well-known Michael Kors fans include Catherine Zeta-Jones, Michelle Obama and Rachel McAdams. His designs during his time working at the French fashion house Celine also found fame in several blockbuster movies including Bandits, Possession and The Thomas Crown Affair.
Making his move into reality television in 2009, Kors became a judge on the popular television show Project Runway, a position he still holds today. The show allows aspiring fashion designers to compete for a USD$100,000 prize to start their own fashion line and each week challenges contestants to design innovative and fashion-forward clothing to impress the judges and keep them in the competition.
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