Michael Kors

Kors' affinity for fashion started when he was very young, with his mother theorizing that his interest may have been sparked by his exposure to the apparel industry through her modeling career. Kors, at the age of 5, even redesigned his mother's wedding dress for her second marriage. As a teen, Kors began designing clothes and selling them out of his parents' basement, which he renamed the Iron Butterfly.

In 1977, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City. He also took a job at a boutique called Lothar's across from Bergdorf Goodman on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, where he started as a salesperson and went on to become both the designer and visual display head for the store, after leaving FIT in 1978.

In 1981, Kors launched his Michael Kors women's label at Bergdorf Goodman. In 1990, the company launched KORS Michael Kors as a licensee. A Chapter 11 filing in 1993, caused by the closure of the licensing partner for KORS Michael Kors, forced him to put the KORS line on hold until 1997.

In 1997, Kors was named the first women's ready-to-wear designer for French luxury fashion house Celine. In his tenure at Celine, Kors designed successful accessories and a critically acclaimed ready-to-wear line. He left Celine in October 2003 to concentrate on his own brand.

In 2002, Kors launched its first line of menswear. In 2004, he launched the MICHAEL Michael Kors and the KORS Michael Kors lines, which included women’s footwear and bags as well as ready-to-wear apparel.

Among the celebrities who have dressed in Kors' designs are Anne Hathaway, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Lupita Nyong'o, Olivia Wilde, Blake Lively, Kate Hudson, Martha Stewart,Lea Michele, Kerry Washington, Rene Russo, Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Swift, Catherine, Princess of Wales, Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Emily Blunt, Ariana DeBose, Vice President Kamala Harris, Heidi Klum, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sigourney Weaver, and Ciara. Michelle Obama wore a black sleeveless dress from the designer for her first term official portrait as First Lady and later sported Kors again at the 2015 State of the Union address.

Viola Davis wore a custom Michael Kors Collection gown when accepting a Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a motion picture for her role in Fences. Kate Hudson and Olivia Wilde both wore gowns by the designer to the 2016 Golden Globes, and Emily Blunt, nominated for her role in Into the Woods, wore a white custom gown by the designer in 2015. Joan Allen wore his gown when she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Contender. As creative director of Celine, Kors designed many outfits for actresses to wear on screen, including Gwyneth Paltrow in Possession; and Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair.

One of his gowns was worn by Alicia Keys for her performance at Barack Obama's inaugural ball on January 21, 2013.

Kors was a judge on the Emmy-nominated reality television program Project Runway, which aired on Bravo for five seasons; subsequent seasons aired on Lifetime. On December 18, 2012, it was announced that Kors would be leaving Project Runway, to be replaced by fellow designer Zac Posen. Kors returned to Project Runway in 2016 as a guest judge on the season 15 finale.

In January 2014, Forbes reported that Kors reached a personal fortune in excess of $1 billion. By that time, Michael Kors Holdings had already "minted two billionaires": Silas Chou and Lawrence Stroll.

Kors celebrated his 40th anniversary in 2021 during lockdown with a filmed runway show on the streets of the Theater District in New York City. Supermodels including Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen and Shalom Harlow walked the show, along with Bella Hadid, Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser.

In 2026, the designer marked the 45th anniversary of his brand with a live runway show at The Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center, New York. Supermodel Christy Turlington walked the show, as did Alex Consani, Amelia Gray and Paloma Elsesser while Uma Thurman, Dakota Fanning, Mary J. Blige and more red carpet favorites watched from the front row. The designer toasted the milestone with an after party at PJ Clarke’s.

Kors was born as Karl Anderson Jr. on Long Island, New York. His mother is Jewish and his father was of Swedish descent. His parents are Joan Hamburger (1939-2023), a former model, and her first husband, Karl Anderson Sr. His mother married Bill Kors when her son was 5, and his surname was changed to Kors. His mother told Karl that he could choose a new first name as well and he renamed himself Michael David Kors. He grew up in Merrick, New York, and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, New York, on Long Island.

Kors married his partner, Lance Le Pere, on August 16, 2011, in Southampton, New York, in The Hamptons.

In January 2009, the estate of artist and designer Tony Duquette sued Kors for trademark infringement after Kors allegedly used Duquette's name and images in promoting Kors' 2009 resortwear collection.

In July 2013, he became the second luxury brand, after Tiffany & Co, to sue Costco for falsely claiming in advertisements that they sold his product.