Michael David Kors (born Karl Anderson Jr.[2] August 9, 1959) is an American fashion designer. He is the chief creative officer of his brand,[3] Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and fragrance. Kors was the first women's ready-to-wear designer for the French house Celine, from 1997 to 2003.[4] On January 2, 2019, Michael Kors Holdings Limited officially changed its name to Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI).[5] Michael Kors, Jimmy Choo, and Versace are the three founder-led brands under Capri Holdings Limited.[6]
Kors was born as Karl Anderson Jr.[7]onLong Island, New York. His mother is Jewish; his father was of Swedish descent.[7][8][9][10] His parents are Joan Hamburger, a former model, and her first husband, Karl Anderson Sr.[11][12][13] His mother married Bill Kors when her son was five, and his surname was changed to Kors. His mother told Karl that he could choose a new first name as well and he renamed himself Michael David Kors.[13] He grew up in Merrick, New York, and graduated from John F. Kennedy High SchoolinBellmore, New York, on Long Island.[14]
Kors' affinity for fashion started when he was very young. His mother thought his affinity might have been caused in part by his exposure to the apparel industry through her modeling career.[17] Michael, at the age of five, even redesigned his mother's wedding dress for her second marriage.[18] As a teen, Kors began designing clothes and selling them out of his parents' basement, which he renamed the Iron Butterfly.[17]
In 1977, he enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.[19] However, he dropped out after only nine months and took a job at a boutique called Lothar's across from Bergdorf Goodmanon57th StreetinMidtown Manhattan, where he started as a salesperson and went on to become both the designer and visual display head for the store.
In 1981, Kors launched his Michael Kors women's label at Bergdorf Goodman. In 1990, the company launched KORS Michael Kors as a licensee. A Chapter 11 filing in 1993, caused by the closure of the licensing partner for KORS Michael Kors, forced him to put the KORS line on hold. He got back on his feet by 1997 and launched a lower priced line and at the same time was named the first women's ready-to-wear designer for French house Celine.[20] In his tenure at Celine, Kors turned the fashion house around with successful accessories and a critically acclaimed ready-to-wear line. He left Celine in October 2003 to concentrate on his own brand. He launched his menswear line in 2002.
First Lady Michelle Obama's first term official portrait showing her wearing a dress designed by KorsA dress by Michael Kors modeled by Kasia Struss, 2010
Kors was a judge on the Emmy-nominated reality television program Project Runway, which aired on Bravo for five seasons; subsequent seasons aired on Lifetime. On December 18, 2012, it was announced that Kors would be leaving Project Runway, to be replaced by fellow designer Zac Posen.[31] Kors returned to Project Runway in 2016 as a guest judge on the season 15 finale.[32]
In January 2014, Forbes reported that Kors reached a personal fortune in excess of $1 billion. Michael Kors Holdings had already "minted two billionaires": Silas Chou and Lawrence Stroll.[33]
Kors at the conclusion of his Spring/Summer 2014 show at New York Fashion Week, September 2013
2016: The World Food Program USA honored Kors with the McGovern-Dole Leadership award, presented by Vice President Joe Biden.
2015: Named a Global Ambassador Against Hunger for the United Nations World Food Programme.
2015: God's Love We Deliver dedicated the Michael Kors Building at the non-profit's new SoHo headquarters in honor of Kors' ongoing support.
2013: Selected for The Time 100, the magazine's annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. He also made the New York Observer's list of the 100 Most Influential New Yorkers, under the fashion category, and was named to Out magazine's 2014 Power 50 List.
2013: Honored with the 2013 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion by The Couture Council of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
2013: Kors presented Hillary Rodham Clinton with the first-ever Michael Kors Award for Outstanding Community service.
2012: Honored with the Golden Heart Lifetime Achievement Award by God's Love We Deliver, a non-profit organization that distributes fresh meals to people living with HIV/AIDS and other diagnoses, which he has been involved with for over 20 years.
2010: Received the Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research, an annual honor bestowed by the Cancer Research Institute, a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing immune system-based treatments for cancer.
2010: Kors was the youngest recipient ever of the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and received the Fragrance Foundation's FiFi Award for Lifetime Achievement.
An ensemble Kors designed in 2021–2022 in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition In America: A Lexicon of Fashion
In January 2009, the estate of the artist-designer Tony Duquette sued Kors for trademark infringement after Kors allegedly used Duquette's name and images in promoting Kors' 2009 resortwear collection.[34]
In July 2013, he became the second luxury brand, after Tiffany &Co, to sue Costco for falsely claiming in advertisements that they sold his product.[35][36]
Kors was referenced in the 2006 film The Devil Wears PradabyMeryl Streep's character, Miranda Priestly. In the scene, Priestly sweeps into her office and gives a list of instructions to her personal assistant (Emily Blunt). Priestly says, "RSVP 'yes' to Michael Kors' party and I want the driver to drop me off at 9:30 and pick me up at 9:45 sharp."[37]
^"Fashion Designer Michael Kors Talks Jewish Mothers, His Bar Mitzvah". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved February 21, 2021. Kors, born Karl Anderson, Jr., in Long Island, New York, is the son of Karl Anderson and Joan Kors (née Hamburger), a Jewish model, whose work exposed him to fashion at a young age. His mother later remarried Bill Kors and the five-year-old's surname was changed to Kors. At the time, his mother also told him that he could choose a new first name, changing his name formally to Michael David Kors.
