The document provides biographical information about fashion designer Min Seok Tommy Park. It details Park's interest in fashion from a young age in South Korea, where trends like skinny jeans were just emerging. Park enjoyed dressing fashionably in school and finding unique ways to style less popular clothing. He decided to pursue a career in fashion design and hopes to one day open his own store. The document also discusses Park's favorite designers such as Alexander McQueen and provides insights into how he expresses his personality through his own stylish yet casual and elegant personal style.
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Min Seok Tommy Park
Ms. Robertson
20th
Century Designers
Wednesday: 12:00
Designer Notebook
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Fashion was one of my passions since I was child and I was interested about it so
that is how I ended up attending the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. I
would say that my Fashion life started when I was in middle school. At that time it was
when the Fashion trends in South Korea started to change. The skinny jeans became a
trend in South Korea; nobody thought that man could wear skinny and tight jeans. Even
though the skinny jeans were not produced in South Korea, the skinny jeans spread first
to Korean culture. During middle school and high school, I loved to dress very
fashionable to look nice and to be up-to-date with the current Fashion trends. I
remembered that people look at me and said that I was showing off. I thought their
comments were ridiculous because who does not want to look nice to other people. My
friends praised me the way I wear my clothes; I could say that nobody could follow my
Fashion because it was unique. When I go shopping, I always find clothing that people
would not usually wear. After buying, I always find the way to make those unpopular
clothes look appealing. After that day, I started to research products that people not buy
and try to match those products with others. Finally, I decided that one of my dreams was
doing Fashion; make unique clothing. For my future, my biggest goal is to make my own
store of clothing and accessories and spread my idea of Fashion to the Fashion industry.
My favorite designers are Christian Dior, Hubert de Givenchy, Giorgio Armani,
Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Tom Ford, Marc Jacobs, Alexander McQueen, Ralph Lauren
and Miuccia Prada. My favorite designer is Alexander McQueen. There's no comparison.
He was simply a genius. The stories he had told and emotion that he could evoke with his
shows were unbelievable. Not only was he a prodigy in design but also passion for
Fashion well cultivated, and you could see it in most of his designs. His artistry and
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technique designs have influenced the world of Fashion. Even though he is not alive, he
contributed new ideas and new concepts to the Fashion Industry. Finally, the feelings and
emotions he put in his clothing design; make him create unique remarkable clothing
designs.
My experiences with Fashion show my personality and the kinds of things I am
interested in. I think clothes are a way of self-expression, showing people who you are
even if they do not talk to you, but I also do not think you should judge people based on
what they wear. By the way you wear your clothing it can change the perceptions of
many people. In addition, people really have to be worried when wearing the adequate
clothing; people can either praise you or criticize you. Clothing has a lot to say about you.
For example, meeting someone new, first impressions may be based solely on what you
are wearing. Your clothes have the potential to get you jobs and affect future
relationships. We live in a world that values freedom to make our own choices. This is
why we are around by so many different styles of Fashion. Even though we live in a
world of value freedom, the choices when we wear clothing should be important to us.
What is the message you want to show? If you wear clothes that are too big or baggy, you
could be sending a message that you are careless, undependable, or disrespectful. Finally,
like seriously who would give a first bad impression in front of a person. Sloppy dressers
are often viewed as irresponsible and dishonest.
My style is very casual, sophisticated, sporty and elegant. Depending on the day
or the event my style will change a little but I always try to look elegant. Look classy and
appealing; I pay more attention to accessories, shoes and bags. My goal when wearing
clothes is to be comfortable and at the same time look very casual.
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Charles Frederick Worth
1825 – 1895 (1900-1910)
Biography:
Born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England.
Considered the father of Haute Couture.
English fashion designer of the 19th century, whose works were produced in
France.
His father was a lawyer who had lost most of his money
Charles started working at the age of 11.
He worked in a company that sold fabrics.
Through these experiences, he wished to become a fashion designer.
At the age of twenty he took a job with a fabric firm in Paris in 1846.
Before moving to Paris, he worked in a London drapery shop.
He was hired by Gagelin and Opigez, well-known Parisian drapers
Married one of the firm's models, Marie Vernet.
Worth several dresses were displayed in 1851 at the Great Exhibition at London’s
Crystal Palace.
He died in 1895 and passed Maison Worth on to his sons Gaston, who ran
finances and Jean Philippe, who was the designer.
House of Worth closed due to Franco-Prussian War.
In France, they commemorate the life of Charles Worth with the opening of the
Charles Worth Gallery at the Heritage Centre at Bourne, Lincolnshire, his
birthplace.
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Significance:
Worth's designs are notable for his use of lavish fabrics and trimmings, his incorporation
of elements of historic dress, and his attention to fit. While the designer still created one-
of-a-kind pieces for his most important clients, he is especially known for preparing a
variety of designs that were shown on live models at the House of Worth. Clients made
their selections and had garments tailor-made in Worth's workshop. His aggressive self-
promotion earned him the titles "father of haute couture" and "the first couturier."
Worth's rise as a designer coincided with the establishment of the Second Empire in
France. In 1852, the restoration of a royal house, with Napoleon III implemented a grand
vision for Paris and France, the changes and modernization influenced French economy
and made Paris be a considerable city in Europe. Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie,
make Worth’s success as a popular dressmaker in the 1860s. In addition, Worth would
become an international designer. He was so famous that clients from another countries
traveled to Paris to purchase his collection. He built a huge business design house during
the last quarter of the nineteenth century that has all his designs stored. After his death in
1895, his sons, Gaston Lucien and Jean-Philippe, took over their father business.
Unfortunately, his sons were not as effective as their father. The House of Worth came to
an end in 1952 when Worth’s grandson, Jean-Charles, retired from the family business.
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Paul Poiret
1879-1944 (1910-1920)
Biography:
Paul Poiret was born on April 20, 1879 in Paris.
French fashion designer during the early 20th century.
His father was a cloth merchant.
Poiret lived with his parents and his three sisters in an apartment above the shop
his parents owned.
Poiret’s parent had an interest in arts.
The family owned a country house outside of Paris, at Billancourt. Poiret will
spend some time at his country house constructing fountains, pressing petals from
the garden, and gathering odd bits of iron and junk into what he called his antique
collection.
At the age of 12, he and his family moved to Rue des Halles in Paris where he
attended Ecole Massilon due to the fact that his sisters contracted scarlet fever.
He was interested in fashion and enjoyed going to the theater and art exhibits.
After he graduated at the age of 18, he worked in an umbrella company.
While working there he hated, but never lose the illusions to pursue his interest in
fashion by drawing and sewing designs in his spare time.
Poiret fashion career starts when he took some of his designs to a woman named
Mademoiselle Choruit. Choruit was impressed with his design and bought 12
designs. Later on, in 1896, Maison Doucet offered him a full time job.
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Significance:
In his autobiography, Poiret stated, "People have been good enough to say that I have
exercised a powerful influence over my age, and that I have inspired the whole of my
generation. I dare not make the pretension that this is true … "; however, he goes on to
say that what influence he did have was not in the creation of new styles or restoring of
color to a woman's wardrobe, both of which he did, but rather, he says, "It was in my
inspiration of artists, in my dressing of theatrical pieces, in my assimilation of and
response to new needs, that I served the public of my day." Fashion design had come
under the influence of photography and the high standard of artistic influence, as revealed
in the fashion plates of such publications as the Journal des Dames et des Modes, had
disappeared. Poiret was refreshingly innovative in his approach to design, restoring the
artist as an important and creative force in fashion. In these ways, Poiret helped artists
gain exposure in the public eye and helped them develop their talents. In addition, fashion
illustration and literature became very popular. Poiret was a very respected designer
because he even promoted career to several actresses. These actresses gained popularity
due to the costumes he designed for them. Poiret was the first costume designer to
consider the lighting and the background of each scene when creating dresses for a
theatrical performance.
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Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel
1883-1971 (1920-1930)
Biography:
Born in Saumur, France
Born August 19, 1883
Famous for her timeless designs, trademark suits, and little black dresses
She was sent to an orphanage at the age of 12.
She had a brief career as singer before opening her first store in 1910.
As Chanel once said, “luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.”
She was raised by nuns who taught her how to sew
She opened her first shop on Paris’s Rue Cambon in 1910
Began producing hats.
She launched her first perfume in 1920 with the name of Chanel No.5.
In 1925, she introduced the channel suit and well-fitted skirt.
Lovelife and Scandal
She was never married.
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Significance:
Gabriele Chanel nicknamed, as “Coco” was a woman of ambition and determination.
Despite of having an unhappy childhood and being an orphan, she become one of the
20th century's most prominent and prestigious couturiers. Chanel's designs were based on
simplicity and elegance. She introduced relaxed dressing, expressing the aspirations of
the day's woman, replacing impractical clothing with functional styling. Chanel was a
brave businesswoman and skillful publicist, quickly expanding her work to include skirts,
jerseys in stockinet jersey, and accessories. Chanel’s early years design were not
influential in the Fashion industry since she had an unhappy childhood, her ideas were
vague. After she gained some dressmaking and millinery experience helped her open as a
milliner her first shops in Paris, Deauville and Biarritz. Recognized as the designer of the
1920s, Chanel initiated an era of casual dressing, appropriate to the occasion, for relaxed
outdoor clothing created to be worn in comfort and without constricting corsets,
liberating women with loosely fitting garments. Her style was described as simplicity,
incorporating practical details. In addition, Chanel borrowed ideas from the male designs,
combing men’s tailoring with women’s clothing. Most of her suits show individuality and
simple elegance. Her influence touched many American and European designers, who
have continued to reinforce her concept of uncomplicated classics. Karl Lagerfeld who
took over Chanel couture line in 1983. He is widely accredited for bringing back Chanel
to the world of fashion. He is currently taking original Chanel designs to convert them to
clothing that can appeal the younger customers.
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Elsa Schiaparelli
1890-1973 (1930-1940)
Biography:
Born in Rome, Italy
Died in Paris, France
Her biggest rival, Coco Chanel.
Schiaparelli’s designs were influenced by surrealism.
She expressed in her designs the need of freedom she did not have during her
childhood.
"In difficult times, fashion is always outrageous." Elsa Schiaparelli
“ My Shocking Life”, her autobiography
In 1914, she married a Polish theosophist, Count Wilhelm de Wendt de Kerlor.
In 1916, moves to New York.
In 1928, she introduces her first perfume “S”
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Significance
Schiaparelli came from an elite Italian family. Her mother was a Neapolitan aristocrat
and her father a renowned scholar and curator of medieval manuscripts. Her father,
Celestino, was Dean of the University of Rome and an authority on Sanskrit. She was a
niece of astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli, who discovered the canali of Mars, and she
spent hours with him studying the heavens. There are many possible origins of the
Schiaparelli name, including the Latin adjective scaber (meaning rough), which would go
into Italian as, first, scapro, later schiapro or schiaparo (same pronunciation as scapro); a
descent from the Italian word schiappa (meaning splinter) or possibly evolved from the
common Jewish surname Shapiro. She was encouraged to start work as a designer by
Paul Poiret in the late 1920s. She focused on the creation of innovative clothes and
accessories between 1927 until 1954. She was influenced by Surrealism working with
artists such as Salvador Dali and Jean Cocteau. In addition, she was the first fashion
designer to introduce colored zips as a fashion feature and fancy buttons. Famous
designers such as Yves Saint Lourent applied her concept of fashion in his designs.
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Madeleine Vionnet
1876-1975 (1930-1940)
Biography:
Born in Chilleurs-aux-Bois, Loiret, on June 22, 1876
She came from a poor family.
When she was 11 years old, she began her apprenticeship as a seamstress in a
little shop in the ban lieue of Paris.
She married at the age of eighteen.
When she was 21, she worked for a more refined boutique in the Rue de la Paix,
which sold underwear.
She ends up divorcing after the death of her daughter.
After she was divorced, she moved to London to start working with dressmaker
Kate Reilly.
Her marriage ends in divorce and after the tragedy of the death of a daughter, she
moves to London where she begins working for the dressmaker Kate Reilly.
In 1912, she opens her first fashion house. But two years later she is forced to
close, because of World War I.
She retired in 1939 and closed her business due to World War II.
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Significance:
Madame Vionnet is considered one of the greatest designers. She was an architect of
fashion. She chose fabric and line based on the client and cut with precision. She made
most of her designs on wooden puppets. She invented cutting on scale, which change the
fit of clothes. We can say that her ideas and concepts of fashion could have helped the
creation of fitted t-shirt and skinny jeans. Her clothes came to life on the body.
Madeleine Vionnet believed that "when a woman smiles, then her dress should smile
too." Influenced by the modern dances of Isadora Duncan, Vionnet created designs that
showed off a women's natural shape. Like Duncan, Vionnet was inspired by ancient
Greek art, in which garments appear to float freely around the body. As an expert
couturier, Vionnet knew the textiles that could be draped to match the curves of a
woman’s body. Throughout the world, Vionnet dresses are displayed in museums. Most
of them look like gowns worn tied, draped, twisted and fell free. She was knowledgeable
of the textiles and fabrics. Finally, she is considered a successful and remarkable designer
because she applied Ancient Greek fashion, which caught the attention of many designers
in the fashion industry.
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Christian Dior
1905-1957 (1950-1960)
Biography:
He was born in Granville, Marche, France
Influential French fashion designer
In 1927, military service
In 1928,Dior and his friend Jacques Bonjean opened an art gallery on rue de la
Boetie
In 1931, his mother and brother died
In 1935, he began sketching dresses and hats.
In 1938 Robert Piguet opened a fashion house, and Dior took his first job, when
he joined him as a designer. Dior had to leave Piguet because he joined the
military again because of World War I
After the World War I, he returned to Paris in 1941 and joined Lucien Lelong as a
designer.
In 1948, Dior luxury ready-to-wear is set up in New York
In 1950, Dior stockings, ties, all other accessories are marketed in the USA
In 1951, Dior opens a store in Paris.
In 1955, Yves St. Laurent becomes Dior's first and only designing assistant.
In the same year 1955, Dior introduced lipsticks and beauty products.
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Significance
Christian Dior is perhaps one of the most famous fashion designers of both the 20th and
21st centuries. After he released his collection in 1947, he was a legendary figure, he was
enthusiastic when designing and creating collection. One of the advantages of Christian
Dior is that he never disappointed designers but, he creates clothing that were impacting
that no one could have criticize his style. In addition, he was a sensitive and gentleman,
he knows how to respond to any circumstances. He was a designer and a fashion
illustrator. The influences of Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong made Christian Dior
reestablished the world of Fashion in Paris after the disaster caused during World War II.
Throughout Dior's ten years of fame, none of his collections failed, either critically or
commercially. One of his rivals that avoid his success was Chanel who’s philosophy of
Fashion was completely opposite from Dior’s. Coco channel addressed that clothes
should be relaxed, ageless, dateless and easy to wear. However, Christian Dior described
it that clothes should be was young, fresh, and unsophisticated. Relaxed, casual jackets
with pleated skirts and sailor-collared blouses, these Dior clothes were easy and beautiful.
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Claire McCardell
1905-1958 (1950-1960)
Biography:
Born in Frederick, Maryland, 24 May 1905
The founder of American ready-to-wear fashion
In 1941, she became a significant figure in the fashion industry because of her
soft in style dresses.
In 1925, she attended Parsons The New School For Design.
In 1927, she transferred to Parsons The School For Design in Paris.
In 1928, she graduated and spent five years working in various fashion houses.
In 1932 she worked in Townley Frocks as a design assistant; after the first
showing of her dress designs she was promoted to designer.
In 1942 she conceived the idea for her popular "Popover" wraparound housedress
for women.
She introduced many details from men's clothes to women's clothes, such as large
pockets, shirtsleeve shoulders, stitching on blue jeans, and trouser pleats.
In 1944, she returned to Parsons as an instructor.
In 1950, she received the Women’s National Press Club Award by President
Harry S. Truman.
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Significance
Fashion designers such as Isaac Mazrahi, Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Elizabeth McKay,
Norma Kamali, and Cynthia Rowley have all been influenced by McCardell; Anna Sui's
line of spring/summer 1999 was directly inspired by her work.[14] Contemporary
designers often incorporate her unconventional use of everyday textiles and relaxed
silhouettes into their own work. The inspirations of McCardell’s designs were many. She
primarily relies on her own intuition as a woman. Most of her ideas were issues that she
had to solve. She seeks to find solutions by analyzing the various needs of women,
concluding that essentially clothes must be functional. She was not that passionate about
contemporary French fashion. When she was studying in France, she was influenced by
the samples from the French couturier Madeleine Vionnet. McCardell studied the pattern
and cut of her garments. With Vionnet’s products she was able to produce the ready-to-
wear clothing. She incorporated the bias cut into her designs. From Vionnet, McCardell
said she learned "the way clothes worked, the way they felt." Claire McCardell's greatest
contribution to fashion history was in creating and defining the American Look. Her
inspiration is evident in the work of the many fashion designers who followed her.
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André Courrèges
1923-Present (1960-1970)
Biography:
Born in Pau, France
In 1941, he was an air force pilot during World War II
In 1948, he worked in a small Parisian fashion house
In 1949, he joined the staff of Cristobal Balenciaga
In 1961, he opened his own store.
In 1967, he married his assistant, Coqueline Barriere, who has previously worked
with Balenciaga.
In 1968, Space Age Collection.
In 1972, Summer Olympics, he designed uniforms in 10 different styles.
In 1973, He launched his menswear line Courreges Homme.
In 1979, He diversified into fine leather goods, beauty products and other related
products.
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Significance
In his first appearance on the French couture scene, Courrèges introduced a revolutionary
concept of styling: space-age clothes. This included boots, goggles, and dresses above the
knee. The products he produced were spread quickly throughout the fashion industry,
especially one of his biggest inventions, the miniskirt, which he introduced it first to
France. Later he introduced his later creations like sweater pants, parkas, tennis dresses,
beach clothes and mechanic-style coveralls. His designs were so popular and appealing
that he was the most copied and plagiarized dress-designer of his era. In addition, his
space age collection in 1964 was the biggest impact in the fashion industry. He totally
change the idea of fashion producing plastic skirts and jackets, angular seaming, crash
helmets, white boots, and goggles, for a boxy silhouette. He had his greatest time in the
60’s and 70’s when he was known for his refreshing new look.
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Yves Saint Laurent
1936-2008 (1960-1970)
Biography:
Born in Oran, French Algeria
Died in Paris, France
French fashion designer
In his childhood, he was a very nervous child and sick due to the fact that he was
bullied at school.
He worked with Christian Dior and was praised for his dress designs.
In 1966, he launched his own fashion labels, where his design of tuxedos for
women becomes a success for him making him gain fame.
In 1983, He was the first living designer to receive a solo exhibition in New
York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art
In 2007, he was awarded the rank of Grand officier de la Légion d'honneur by
French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
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Significance
Yves Saint Laurent as a designer his role was dressing women in a way that mirrored
society's new sexual freedom and gender role play. One of his colleagues Pierre Bergé
said: "He was a libertarian, an anarchic, and he threw bombs at the legs of society,"
"That's how he transformed society, and that's how he has empowered women." He has a
profound special significance in the fashion industry. Even though the haute couture was
first introduced by Charles Frederick Worth. Saint Laurent was the first to elevate haute
couture to the rank of art, which gave him global influence. The real importance of Yves
Saint Laurent is that he was respectable and respectful. He is the one that had made high
fashion today with the variety of shapes and textures he provide to the fashion industry.
Every designer who now stages a retrospective display can trace the concept back to YSL.
The most important part of his career was when he met his partner Pierre Bergé. They
have an open partnership, homosexual and became the dominants of other stores. They
give birth of luxury ready-to-wear as a democratization of haute couture. He influenced
popular designers like Marc Jacobs, John Galliano, Dior and Carla Sarkozy. As Sarkozy
said: “ Yves Saint Laurent infused his label with his creative genius, elegant and refined
personality ... because he was convinced that beauty was a necessary luxury for all men
and women."
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Hubert De Givenchy
1927-Present (1960-1970)
Biography:
Born in Beauvais, France
He studied in Ecole des Beaux-Arts
In 1946, he joined Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong
In 1952, the house of Givenchy was founded
His work was worn by famously Audrey Hepburn.
In 1950, he joined Elsa Schiaparelli and worked with her for four years.
In 1957, Givenchy introduced his perfume L'Interdit.
In 1973, he launched Gentleman Givenchy, his first ready to wear men collection.
He retired in 1995.
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Significance
Today Hubert de Givenchy lives quietly at his estate, "Le Jonchet," outside of Paris. He is
a renowned collector of antique furniture and of modern art. His fashion designs,
especially those of the 50s and 60s, are his remarkable pieces that change the perception
of the fashion industry. Vintage Givenchy gowns can be seen frequently on the red carpet
as well as in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Musee de Mode
(fashion museum) in Paris. For 43 years, Hubert de Givenchy has been the perfect
gentleman of couture. He has dressed a customer in different styles such as elegant, pure,
sculptural, refreshing, lady-like and addictive. Most of his clients are women for whom
elegance is everything. Givenchy is the last support of quality. Clean and minimalist
sportswear with unusual detailing, jersey dresses with adaptable necklines, zippered
jackets, lean pants, and for evening liquid gowns and light cashmere coats.
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Giorgio Armani
1934-Present (1980-1990)
Biography:
Born in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
The Armani brand now includes makeup, housewares, books, and hotels
The son of a shipping manager
He grew up in a small town outside of Milan
He did two years of medical study at the University of Piacenza
Giorgio Armani partnered with Galeotti and both founded Giorgio Armani S.p.A
in 1975.
During the 1980s, Armani became a symbol of success for many business
professionals
In 1989, he opened his first restaurant.
By the end of 1990s, Armani had 2000 stores worldwide and earned around $2
billion annually.
In 2010, he opened his first hotel in Dubai.
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Significance
The search for fabrics has always been one of the distinctive elements of Giorgio
Armani’s collections for men and women, becoming a key design element, together with
embroidery and the return to evening wear that he brought about. Here the look was
precious and exclusive but always in a minimalist key, discovering through the use of
low-heeled shoes or sneakers. He is an attentive analyst of past cultures and Eastern
influences; Armani’s clothing has never been a negative influence in the fashion industry.
Throughout his career, he has always succeeded in providing new images of how men
and women should dress and translating elegant, decorative patterns into a unique but
accessible style.
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Donna Karan
1948-Present (1980-1990)
Biography:
American fashion designer
Born in Forest Hills, New York
Attended Parsons The New School for Design in 1968
In 1984, she divorced her first husband, Mark
In 1988, DKNY was founded
In 1990, DKNY Jeans was launched
In 1991, Donna Karan stepped into the male fashion industry
In 1992, Donna Karan launched her first perfume
In 1992, Donna Karan launched DKNY for Men
In 1996, she opened her first signature store on London’s Bond Street.
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Significance
In 2003 she became the first American to ever receive Fashion Group International's
"Superstar Award." The following year, she received the prestigious Lifetime
Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Her success in
the fashion world is evident: her labels are major fashion powerhouses and she is
respected as one of the world’s foremost designers. However, she recently received
negative press as animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
accused her of designing clothes using fur. Despite that, Karan is a very generous human
being. She is a Jewish so she donated $850,000 to New York’s Beth Israel Medical
Center. Donna Karan remains one of the most important American designers of the
twentieth century. On a par with the legendary Coco Chanel, Donna Karan has changed
the way women dress their bodies and promote their image in a fast-paced, successful,
ever-changing woman’s world.
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Calvin Klein
1942-Present (1980-1990)
Biography:
Born in Bronx, New York
He attended the High School of Art and Design
He attended the Fashion Institute of Technology but never graduated from
He did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an old-line cloak-and-suit manufacturer, Dan
Millstein
In 1968, he launched his first company Calvin Klein Inc. with a childhood friend,
Barry K. Schwartz
Calvin Klein was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish immigrant
community in the Bronx, New York, along with Robert Denningand Ralph
Lauren.
In 1981, 1983, 1993, he received an award from Councils of Fashion Designs of
America.
His business now includes clothing, cosmetics, fragrances and home collections.
In 1983 Klein was placed on the International Best Dressed List.
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Significance
Calvin Klein always has a high reputation status in the United States in the world of
fashion design. He brought simplicity, elegance, and luxury to clothing at a time in the
early 1970s when bright economy was the trend. He used natural fibers like cotton and
wool in place of the popular and less expensive synthetics of the day such as polyester
and rayon. Klein also rejected the wild use of color so prevalent at that time; he favored
neutral earth tones. In terms of fashion design, Klein’s greatest innovation could be the
look referred to as “casual chic.” This style relied on the use of separates that could be
mixed and matched to create a variety of outfits. Klein gave these casual clothes his fine
attention to detail that had been previously reserved for formal couture. He told
Lockwood in Women’s Wear Daily, “I’ve always had a clear design philosophy and point
of view about being modern, sophisticated, sexy, clean, and minimal. They all apply to
my design aesthetic. Klein has also been an innovator as a marketer of fashion. His costly
and controversial advertising campaigns have, throughout his career, thrust the fashion
world into popular culture. The resulting publicity has undoubtedly helped Klein expand
his empire from clothing to fragrances and housewares. Finally, Calvin Klein famous
quote “We need newness and excitement in fashion. That’s what it’s about—that’s what
puts the fun in clothes.”
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Tom Ford
1961-Present (1990-2000)
Biography:
Born in Austin, Texas
His parents, Tom Ford, Sr. and Shirley Bunton, both worked as real estate agents.
Ford spent much of his childhood at his grandparents' ranch in the dusty town of
Brownwood, Texas.
He was interested in art and painting
He was studying in NYU but later transferred to Parsons The New School for
Design.
Ford landed a job designing jeans for Perry Ellis on New York's Seventh Avenue.
In 1990, Ford moved to Milan to assume the role of Women’s wear Designer for
Gucci.
In 2005, he founded his own fashion company, Tom Ford Brand,
In 2009, Ford entered the film industry with his debut film, A Single Man.
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Tom Ford Vintage & Vogue
Tom Ford Men & Women Casual Clothes Collection 2012
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Significance
One of the most decorated designers of his generation, Ford has won numerous fashion
awards for his work with Gucci and his own Tom Ford Brand. He has won five Council
of Fashion Designers of America awards, four VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards and was
named 2001's GQ designer of the year. Although he is well into his 40s, in a long-term
relationship (with fashion journalist Richard Buckley); Ford continues to promote himself
with a youthful and sexually charged image. And he says he is untroubled by the seeming
incongruity between his personal life and his public image. "I guess I'm hyper-self-
conscious about people thinking that I'm egotistical," he says, "but there's a difference
between being egotistical and knowing your value as a product and an actor. I know my
value as a product, and I've divorced myself as a human from myself as a product." Ford
says the secret of his success is his energy, and he only sleeps around three hours a night.
His celebrity fans include the likes of Madonna, Bianca, Jagger and Truddie Styler.
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Marc Jacobs
1963-Present (1990-2000)
Biography:
Marc Jacobs was born in April 9, 1963 in New York City.
Rose by his grandmother who supported Jacobs’s passion for becoming a fashion
designer.
By the age of 15, Jacobs attended High School of Art & Design while working at
a clothing boutique “Charivari”.
The work helped him get a spot in Parsons School for Design, where his creativity
and achievements stood out.
After graduation in 1981, Jacobs was offered to produce the sketchbook for
Reuben Thomas Inc., which launched the beginning of his career.
Reuben Thomas Inc. went out of business in 1985, which gave Jacobs an
opportunity to make his own brand with his business partner Robert Duffy.
In 1986, he launched his first collection with the Marc Jacobs label.
Later in 1989, he and his business partner joined Perry Ellis as Vice-President of
Women’s Design.
In 1993 Jacobs and Duffy launched their own licensing and design company,
Marc Jacobs International Company.
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Marc Jacobs Stylish Patterns Collection 2012
Marc Jacobs Collection Saw Leaf and Geometric Prints
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Significance
In August 2004, Jacobs opened his first multi-brand store in Boston’s Newbury Street. In
May 2005, Jacobs expanded to three new stores in Los Angeles. In January 2006, the
company expanded to Europe and opened their first store in Paris. In Spring 2007, Little
Marc Jacobs was launched, a full line of children’s wear. In 1987, Jacobs became the
youngest designer ever to receive the Council of Fashion Designers of America Perry
Ellis Award for New Fashion Talent Jacobs has won seven CFDA awards including
Women’s wear Designer of the Year, Accessories Designer of the Year and Menswear
designer of the Year. In 2007, Jacobs produced the first collection of sunglasses and
fragrances. By 2008, Jacobs was well known internationally by launching multi-brand
stores around the world.