We can thank Michael Kors' mom
for she may be responsible for his enterprising side, driving him around
town to audition for TV commercials in pursuit of a career in show business.
Michael landed a spot in a Lucky Charms commercial where he showed off
his blond hair and toothy smile and uttered one word, "Marshmallows,"
then pushed Charmin paper towels and freeze-dried apple chips.
But his real passion was shopping with her at Bergdorf’s and specialty
boutiques in Garden City and Manhasset where he was is essence preparing
for a fashion career. He studied the New York Times fashion sketches
at the age of five and later opened his own boutique—called the Iron
Butterfly--in the basement of his Merrick, Long Island home where he
sold whipstitched leather vests, batik T-shirts and copper bracelets.
After high school, Kors became a salesperson at Lothar’s, once a Manhattan
hot spot on West 57th Street, where women like Cher, Diana Ross and
Barbra Streisand came to buy casual clothes like t-shirts and jeans.
In May of 1981, he put together
a small collection of separates for the buyers at Bergdorf’s who were
sold on the spot. This lead to the creation of both the Michael Kors
and Kors lines that we know today.
But Kors’ biggest achievement
to date came about two years ago when Yves Carcelle, the president of
leather goods for Louis Vuitton, Loewe and Celine, and his boss, LVMH
chairman Bernard Arnault, hired Kors to bring new blood into the Celine
line. The company felt that the French designers of late were out of
touch with the way women were dressing and looked to Kors’ timeless,
innovative and elegantly refined style to intensify the future development
and image of Celine.
Today, with 108 boutiques across
America, Europe and Japan, Kors’ client list includes Aerin Lauder and
Brooke Douglass de Ocampo who order entire wardrobes each seasons as
well as Gwyneth Paltrow, Claire Danes, Sharon Stone, Minnie Driver and
Helen Hunt who seek out his advice on what to wear to major Hollywood
events.
