Calvin Klein

Klein was born on November 19, 1942 in the Bronx, New York City, to a Jewish family. He is the son of Flore (née Stern; 1909–2006) and Leo Klein. His father was born in Boiany, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) and had immigrated to New York. He was born in the United States, to immigrants from Galicia and Bukovina, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine/Romania).

As a child, Klein attended J.H.S. 80 in the Bronx. He earned a diploma at the High School of Art and Design in Manhattan. After graduation, he attended New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, leaving for six months after his first year, before returning to finish his degree.

He was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish community in the Bronx, along with Ralph Lauren and Robert Denning.

Klein did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an old line cloak-and-suit manufacturer, Dan Millstein, and he spent five years designing at other New York City shops.

In 1968, Klein launched his first company with his childhood friend Barry K. Schwartz. When Schwartz was considering buying a supermarket in Harlem, Klein informed him that he wanted to "design medium priced clothes with a clean look." "When I said I needed money to start out on my own, he said 'You've got it,'" Klein said. Schwartz also became his business manager. After leaving his manufacturing job, Klein set up an office in a hotel room, began designing coats, and eventually brought his creations to Bonwit Teller, where a buyer liked them.

He became a protégé of Baron de Gunzburg, who introduced him to the New York elite fashion scene before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first jeans line. He was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at New York Fashion Week. He was hailed as the new Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and he was noted for his clean lines.

In 1974, Klein designed the tight-fitting signature jeans that went on to gross $200,000 in their first week of sales.

In 1998, Klein participated in a celebrity reading of The Emperor's New Clothes, for The Starbright Foundation, to benefit ill children.

Klein is a supporter of the U.S. Democratic Party, having given over $250,000 to candidates and PACs since 1980.

Relationships

Klein married Jayne Centre, a textile designer, in 1964. Despite going to the same high school and growing up next door in New York, Klein and Centre did not meet and begin dating until college. They have a daughter, television producer Marci Klein, who is best known for her work on NBC's Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. The couple divorced in 1974.

In September 1986, Klein married his assistant, Kelly Rector, while the couple were on a buying trip in Rome. Later, she became a well-known socialite photographer. After separating in 1996, the couple's divorce was finalized 10 years later in April 2006.

From 2010 to 2012, Klein dated model Nicholas Gruber, who is 47 years younger. Since 2016, he has been in a relationship with model Kevin Baker.