You know the brand, which in 2021 is celebrating its 40th anniversary. You most likely own at least one bag emblazoned with his signature chunky MK initials. But what are the origins of Michael Kors, the Project Runway judge whose name has become so synonymous with haute couture that you don't even pause to think about his regular critical views on the show? Just give me a pair of True Fashionista Michael Kors sunglasses from Naples' best consignment store, and all will be right in the world.
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KORS – FASHIONABLE BEGINNINGS
Born August 9, 1959, in Long Island, New York, as Karl Anderson Jr., Kors was no stranger to the spotlight. As a toddler, he worked as a model, appearing in national campaigns for products such as toilet paper and, more famously, Lucky Charms cereal. Kors' biological parents divorced when he was five, and his mother married businessman Bill Kors, which is how Karl got his new name.
"My mother said, 'You're getting a new last name, so why don't you pick a new first name?'" Kors recalled for Biography.com. His favorite name was Michael, and David, his second-favorite, became his middle name. His mother also allowed the five-year-old budding fashion progeny to design her wedding dress.
"The marriage didn't last, [but] the pictures are timeless," Kors remarked some years later about his decision to ditch the bows and other excessive ornamentation. His mother, Joan Kors, said that "he designed the whole wedding. He told my mother what to wear, how to cut her hair. We all listened to him. You could tell that he really knew what he was talking about." At five True Fashionista years old, no less!
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KORS – ALMOST AN ACTOR
Kors had convinced himself that he'd caught the acting bug with national advertising campaigns to his credit and a love of theater, music, and movies. However, while taking acting classes as a teenager, he realized that screen and stage might not be his calling. Immediately after finishing acting school, he headed right back to fashion.
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KORS – NOT A STUDENT
Although finding his calling in fashion involved a few missteps, fashion was clearly in young Kors' future. He loved shopping and voraciously tore through each month's issue of Vogue as soon as it arrived at his family's home in suburban New York. "I practically hyperventilated every month when Vogue arrived," he told Biography.com. In the 1970's he moved to New York City to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology and subsequently dropped out after only two semesters.
Apparently, this was all the schooling he needed, and Kors found work in 1978 at a French boutique called Lothar's. Here he designed and merchandised his first True Fashionista collection in 1981. It was well-received, and Kors officially launched his fashion line.
Michael Kors Women's Collection launched in May 1981, initially sold in high-end department stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf Goodman.
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KORS – CONVINCING ANNA W
Kors then hit the road, presenting his True Fashionista elegantly tailored clothing line in private homes via intimate trunk shows. Who would have imagined then that his clothing could be found in ample supply at True Fashionistas consignment store Naples? Gifted with appealingly persuasive sales techniques (Thank you, acting school!), these shows were successful. At age 23, Kors was climbing the fashion ladder. There was just one person he knew he needed to impress…
But how would he even get an audience with the one and only Anna Wintour, then at New York Magazine, now Vogue editor in chief? Kors went back to basics, displaying his collection on his bed in his New York apartment. Wintour was sufficiently impressed, and Kors made it into both magazines that year. His career began to skyrocket, and the 80s were good to him. His designs attracted celebrity fans and several awards.
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KORS – THE LOW POINT
Go ahead, blame Nirvana. Besides the oversized, casual look that went with the 90s grunge phenomenon, the economy was also spiraling. Kors' company was forced to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and he, in turn, launched KORS Michael Kors, a lower-priced line. Kors also became creative director of Celine, a French fashion house, in 1997. During this time, he continued to expand his brand, and in 2003 he was awarded the coveted Menswear Designer of the Year award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America, the most prestigious prize in American fashion.
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KORS – PROJECT RUNWAY CALLING
In 2004, Kors was asked to be a judge on a new reality tv show called Project Runway. He didn't get it and nearly turned it down. "Fashion on television?" Kors recalled thinking. "I thought that only fashionista freaks, gays, and men wanting to see Heidi Klum in a short dress would watch it." He was wrong. The show was an immediate hit, and Kors spent the next eight years dishing out the quips and blunt criticisms that had become fan favorites.
HISTORY OF MICHAEL KORS – A CAREER OF PRESIDENTIAL PROPORTIONS
These days, Michael Kors continues to draw rave reviews for his True Fashionista lines of clothing and accessories for men and women. Countless celebrities wear his designs, including former first lady Michelle Obama, who posed in one of his dresses for her first official portrait.
His label's official 40th anniversary fell during the pandemic, so Kors took to the streets of Manhattan for a socially distanced show. "It was a great street party atmosphere," Kors told W Magazine. "The models had a blast. I had a blast. The paparazzi had a blast. Maybe I'm a Pollyanna, but I still think fashion can bring joy to our lives."
Find Michael Kors joy for yourself with the collection at True Fashionistas, the best designer consignment store in Naples. Opening soon in our new expanded location, we offer 24-hour shopping online and in our eBay store.
TAGS: Michael Kors, fashion, true fashionistas, Project Runway, Celine, Vogue, Anna Wintour, consignment, designer consignment, Fashion Institute of Technology, Menswear Designer of the Year, Council of Fashion Designers, Heidi Klum