Know Your Fashion Designers

10 Facts About Michael Kors

1. On August 9th, 1959, Karl Anderson Jr. was born in Long Island, New York, to former model Joan Krystosek Kors and Karl Anderson. Karl Anderson Jr. changed his name to Michael David Kors when he was just five years old after Joan remarried.

2. Kors attended John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, NY, and studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Techology in NYC.

3. Having started designing clothes at age 19, Michael dropped out of FIT to design for small Manhattan boutiques.

4. When he was 23, he convinced formidable fashion editor Anna Wintour - then of New York magazine, now the editor of Vogue - to view his namesake collection, which helped boost his profile in the fashion world.5. In 1981, stores such as Bloomingdales, Lord & Taylor, and Saks Fifth Avenue began to carry the Michael Kors womenswear line.

6. As an American designer for casual wear, Kors competes mainly with Marc Jacobs and Ralph Lauren; however, critics say that Michael Kors is one of the last American designers today that hasn't looked overseas for style inspiration.

7. Kors is a recurring judge on TV channel Bravo's Emmy-nominated reality series Project Runway. He is a judge that mainly focuses on how "wearable" a piece is; he's often the first to ask "where is she wearing that?"

8. Kors loves fragrances; he considers them especially personal creations. His first signature fragrance for women, "Michael Kors," was launched in 2000 and his men's scent soon followed, launching in 2001.9. As famous fashion designers frequently do, Michael Kors has received many awards for his work. He won two CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) awards in 1999 and 2003 for first his womenswear and then his menswear. In 2010, Kors was the youngest recipient of the CFDA's Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award. He was 51 years old.

10. Kors currently resides in New York, continuing his thriving career as a designer and Project Runway judge. You can always follow his tweets under the easy-to-remember account, @MichaelKors, to keep up with the latest news from him and his company.

Article Source: CollegeFashion.NetImage Source: Foenix.Co