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Some modern entrepreneurs have an impressive formal education, but in years gone by those wanting to make the big money leagues had to learn the hard way. They had to learn via sheer hard work and they started at the bottom before climbing the ladder of success. A prime example of that old school philosophy was one of the greatest American fashion designers that ever lived, Calvin Klein. Today, Calvin Klein is a household name as a result of his success on the catwalk, but life was not always that way for the entrepreneur.

The Humble Beginnings Of Calvin Klein

Calvin Richard Klein was born in The Bronx, New York on November 19, 1942. His parents were Jewish-Hungarian immigrants and struggled to make ends meet. However, they had high hopes for their creative son, who won scholarships to both the High School of Industrial Art and then the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. Although Klein showed promise, he failed to graduate after dropping out. With no contacts and no money, the future entrepreneur was forced to take a job at a suit manufacturer in 1962 and learned everything he needed to know about his trade there.

His apprenticeship in the world of fashion lasted five years, during which time he went from fashion store to fashion store until he had saved enough money to open his own fashion shop. It was then he met Baron de Gunzberg, the man that launched Calvin Richard Klein’s career into orbit.

New York Fashion

Calvin Klein’s work had attracted the attention of the Baron, who was the star of the New York fashion circle at that time, in 1968. It was through him that Klein began to meet the cream of the fashion crop and build a reputation as a fashion force. Klein’s style was undoubtedly minimalist and this trait ensured that his work was a hit. It was hailed as timeless and he was soon on his way to turning the $10,000 he had to open his shop into millions.

As a result of landing a retail contract with Bonwit Teller in 1969, Klein’s entrepreneurial skills began to develop. He was soon negotiating contracts with high society, so much so that his annual retail value stood at $30 million just eight years later.

The Calvin Klein Brand

Calvin Klein, like any good entrepreneur, capitalised on his success and had developed his range by the end of the 1970s. He had added designs for shoes, belts and scarves to the suits and coats that made him famous. However, it was the Calvin Klein jeans that launched him into the realm of mega-stardom. Over 200,000 pairs sold during the first week after their launch and enhanced his income beyond the million a year mark. In fact, it was $8.5 million in 1981.

The entrepreneur took this popularity and unbelievable fashion buzz as a sign that the world was ready for more lines. The Calvin Klein underwear range was launched in the same decade and grossed over $70 million in the first year of sale. As such, perfume and jewellery lines followed. Despite the fact that Calvin Klein Inc was sold in 2002 for $400 million, Klein is still a major fashion icon and will undoubtedly go down in history as one of the fashion greats. He is undoubtedly an inspirational figure to budding fashion designers and entrepreneurs in general, offering up a prime example for those with a gift but little in terms of an education to follow.