Calvin Klein is the founder of Calvin Klein Inc., the American apparel-underwear-fragrance empire owned by Phillips-Van Heusen Corp.

It was his tight-fitting designer jeanswear that rocketed Klein to fame in the 1970s and created the platform for a brand that would expand into accessories, shoes, hosiery, eyewear, jewelry and home goods. Klein’s reputation was built as much on his marketing savvy as on his minimalist design sensibilities. Calvin Klein’s sexually charged Brooke Shields commercial — “Nothing comes between me and my Calvins” — was unlike anything TV viewers had seen before. Another industry first was the Calvin Klein 116-page print ad insert shot by Bruce Weber.

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Klein attended New York’s School of Industrial Arts (now known as the High School of Art and Design) and graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in 1963. Five years later, with lifelong friend Barry Schwartz, he launched the Calvin Klein brand.

Today, the massive Calvin Klein portfolio — including Calvin Klein Collection, ck Calvin Klein and the higher end white label — is manufactured and marketed largely through a vast network of licensing arrangements. When Phillips-Van Heusen purchased Calvin Klein in 2003, the founder initially stayed on as a creative consultant before ceding full creative control to Francisco Costa.