Early years

Klein was born to a Jewish family in The Bronx, New York, the son of Flore (née Stern) and Leo Klein. His father was an immigrant from Hungary while his mother was the daughter of an immigrant from Austria and an American dentist. He attended the High School of Art and Design and matriculated at, but never graduated from, New York's Fashion Institute of Technology, receiving an honorary Doctorate in 2003. He did his apprenticeship in 1962 at an oldline cloak-and-suit manufacturer, Dan Millstein, and spent five years designing at other New York shops. In 1968, he launched his first company with a childhood friend, Barry K. Schwartz.

Klein was one of several design leaders raised in the Jewish immigrant community in the Bronx, along with Robert Denning and Ralph Lauren. He became a protégé of Baron de Gunzburg, through whose introductions he became the toast of the New York elite fashion scene even before he had his first mainstream success with the launch of his first jeans line. He was immediately recognized for his talent after his first major showing at New York Fashion Week. He was hailed as the new Yves Saint Laurent, and was noted for his clean lines.

Personal life

Klein married Jayne Centre, a textile designer, in 1964. They have a daughter, Marci, who currently works as Talent Producer for NBC's Saturday Night Live. They divorced in 1974. In September 1986 Klein married his assistant, Kelly Rector, in Rome while they were on a buying trip in Italy. She later became a well-known socialite photographer. After separating in 1996, they divorced in April 2006. In 2003, Klein bought an ocean-front estate in Southampton, New York and demolished it replacing it with a $75 million glass-and-concrete mansion.

Klein is a donor to Democratic Party political causes, having given over $250,000 to candidates and PACs since 1980.

Awards

In 1974, Klein designed the tight-fitting signature jeans that would go on to gross $200,000 in their first week of sales. In that same year he also became the first designer to receive outstanding design in men’s and women’s wear from the CFDA award show. In 1983, he was placed on the International Best Dressed List. Also in 1981, 1983 and 1993, he received an award from Councils of Fashion Designs of America.

Other

Klein made a cameo appearance in Season 3, Episode 15 ("The Bubble"), of the television series 30 Rock. A fictionalized version of him also appears in Season 4, Episode 13 ("The Pick"), of the television series Seinfeld.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]