An insider's guide to your favourite fashion brands
How did it start?
With one Scandinavian and one Jewish parent, Michael Kors was born in Long Island, New York, in 1959. His mother, a former Revlon model, sparked his love of fashion.
Kors studied design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in the late 1970s. While there, he took a part-time job at Lothar's, a boutique on 57th Street. On graduation, the owners asked him to produce a collection and by the next season, he was designing most of the items in the store.
In 1981, he launched his first women's collection, which included jumpsuits layered with jackets in natural fabrics and neutral colours. The minimalist, body-hugging outfits were sold at Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. Kors was awarded DuPont's first American Original Award in 1983.
Kors' look is clean, modern and understated, highlighted by graphic lines with a sleek, sexy and sophisticated touch.