Calvin Klein knew by the time he was five what he wanted to spend his life doing. He was going to be a fashion designer and no one was going to stop him.

Indeed, Klein would go on to become one of the most respected designers in the fashion industry, with a billion dollar company and a name brand that can be found on almost everything from jeans to perfume to underwear.

Both his unique fashion sense and his marketing genius have earned him the nickname ‘Calvin the Conqueror’ for the impact he has had on the global fashion industry throughout his astonishingly successful 40-year career.

A man of extremes, Klein managed to turn his excitement about fashion and design into a lifelong career that has not only spawned a billion-dollar company, but has also revolutionized the way the world thinks about clothing.

So, how did Klein manage to survive at the top for nearly four decades?

“There has been a change in men’s attitudes toward their clothes. In the past, the wife bought all the husband’s clothes, and that happens a lot less today. American men are more aware of fashion; they’re not afraid of it and they like clothes better and are willing to spend more time and money choosing them.

Fashion is about selling clothes. I’m in a business where no one cares about anything except how well your last collection sold.

Fashion is about change. It’s fun to keep changing and to change the silhouettes, to change the fabrics and to change the colour. The next cKone generation has different values and communicates in a very modern way. When we take this campaign to email, it makes it very personal.

I think fantasies are for the birds. Anything I wanted to do, I did. If there’s something I want, nothing stops me.

Anything we do in advertising is controversial. If it’s provocative and sensual and related to what we’re selling, I’m willing to take the chance. I have fun with the ads.

I create the underwear to make people look sexy. So my point is that when I advertise it, for sure I’m going to show it to its greatest advantage. And, I’m going to do it on somebody who has an excellent body, male or female, doesn’t matter.

I don’t think about my fame very much and I don’t dwell on success. Maybe that’s one reason I’m successful. I get either very excited about something or very depressed.

Doing everything as well as possible meant survival.“

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

Did you enjoy this article? If so, then subscribe to our RSS Feed.