Michael Kors

Michael Kors is an American fashion brand founded in 1981 by fashion designer Michael Kors . It owns two sub-lines, MICHAEL Michael Kors and KORS Michael Kors . Its products cover men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, shoes and perfumes.

· Brand History ·

American fashion designer Michael Kors was born in Long Island , New York in 1959. His original name was Karl Anderson Jr. He changed his name to Michael David Kors when his mother remarried when he was 5 years old . His mother was a model, so he developed an interest in fashion from an early age.

Michael Kors was admitted to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York at the age of 18 , but dropped out after only 9 months and entered Lothar's clothing store in New York as a salesman . After a period of time, he began to be responsible for window design and was allowed to display his own designs in the store. Dawn Mello, the fashion director of

the American department store Bergdorf Goodman , accidentally saw his design and asked him if he could display the entire fashion series. Before the agreed date, Michael Kors rushed to produce his first fashion series for several days and finally successfully obtained the opportunity to open a clothing counter in Bergdorf Goodman department store.

Michael Kors officially founded his eponymous brand in 1981 and held his first fashion show three years later. The brand style is centered on the "Jet Set" concept and focuses on the design of daily clothing for short-term travel. In order to expand the customer base, he established the KORS Michael Kors sub-brand in 1990 to make up for the limitations of Michael Kors as a high-priced brand.

KORS Michael Kors products were originally produced by the Italian clothing manufacturer Compagnia Internazionale Abbligliamento . In 1993, Michael Kors' contract with the Italian manufacturer broke down, causing the company to face huge debts and declare bankruptcy, and the development of the Michael Kors brand fell into a trough.

Many years later, Michael Kors attracted the attention of the LVMH Group , which hired Michael Kors as the creative director of the Céline brand and acquired 33% of Michael Kors' shares to help it solve its funding problems. With the support of the LVMH Group, Michael Kors' first store opened on Madison Avenue in New York in 2000 .

After entering the 21st century, Michael Kors began to expand its business scope and launched perfumes, accessories, men's clothing, watches, shoes and glasses. In 2003, Sportswear Holdings purchased 85% of Michael Kors' shares from LVMH Group and other parties for nearly US$100 million, and then rebuilt the business model for the Michael Kors brand.

In order to focus on his personal brand, Michael Kors left Céline in 2004 and founded his second sub-brand MICHAEL Michael Kors in the same year , with products covering ready-to-wear, handbags and shoes. Since 2006, Michael Kors has actively expanded its physical and online retail network, not only proposing the concept of Lifestyle stores , but also launching the official website Michaelkors.com .

Michael Kors' personal image has also had an important impact on the development of the brand. From 2004 to 2012, he served as a resident judge on the American fashion design TV show "Project Runway" and guest-starred as himself in the American TV series "Gossip Girl" . As his personal popularity increased, the reputation of the Michael Kors brand also expanded further.

Fashion designed by Michael Kors is loved by celebrities such as American actress Jennifer Lawrence , singer Taylor Swift , politician Hillary Clinton , and British Duchess of Cambridge Kate . Former US First Lady Michelle Obama chose a black dress designed by Michael Kors when taking an official portrait .

In recognition of Michael Kors' contribution to the fashion industry, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) awarded him the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2010. Previously, he also won the "Best Womenswear Designer of the Year" (1999) and "Best Menswear Designer of the Year" (2003). In 2011, Michael Kors was officially listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Michael Kors and MICHAEL Michael Kors have launched several handbag series so far. The former's representative series include Bancroft series , Simone series , etc.; the latter's classic series include Selma series , Hamilton series , Mercer series , etc.

In 2017 , Michael Kors acquired the British Jimmy Choo Ltd. to increase the brand's competitiveness in the footwear market. Currently, Michael Kors' products include men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, shoes and perfumes. As of 2018, there are 379 retail stores in the United States and 450 overseas retail stores worldwide.

· Chronology of major events ·