Calvin Klein Perfumes at Perfume.Net

Calvin Klein was born Richard Klein in 1942 to Jewish Hungarian immigrants in The Bronx of New York. He graduated from New York�s Fashion Institute of Technology and did a five year apprenticeship with a cloak and suit manufacturer. In 1968 Calvin launched his first company with a childhood friend Barry Schwartz. In the early years Calvin Klein benefitted from the tutelage of Baron de Gunzburg who introduced him to the fashion elite of New York. Calvin Klein became known for his clean lines and straight cuts on coats and suits even before his phenomenal success with jeans.

After Calvin Klein founded his clothing line in 1968 he quickly rose to the top of the fashion world. After receiving a $50,000 order from Bonwit Teller the first Calvin Klein collection consisting of men�s and women�s coats, was features in a New York City store. This was just the beginning of Calvin Klein�s phenomenal success. Calvin Klein appeared on the cover of Vogue magazine in 1969 and added classic blazers, lingerie and sportswear to his line of clothing in 1971. In 1973 Calvin Klein won the Coty award for the first time for his women�s wear collection. The business continued to grow and expand and used risqu� advertising, sex appeal and provocation to create their image.

In the 1980�s Calvin Klein introduced a highly successful line of underwear featuring boxer shorts for women and men�s underwear. Calvin used many well known actors and models in the advertising of his clothing including Brooke Shields and Mark Wahlberg which helped his expand his product line even more.

Despite the huge success of the Calvin Klein empire the company struggled with financial problems and disagreements with the licensee of the menswear line and a high employee turnover rate. In 2002 Calvin Klein Inc was sold to Phillips Van Heusen (PVH) for around $400 millions dollars plus stock options, licensing rights and royalties. PVH is also the maker of Lee and Wrangler jeans.