MICHAEL KORS

A real icon in the domain of ready-to-wear and leather goods since the 1980s, the brand Michael Kors stands out among the world's greatest designers. Born Karl Anderson Jr. in 1959, Michael David Kors grew up in the world of American fashion and design, notably thanks to his mother who had been a model for the Revlon group. From an early age, his mother signed him up for a children's modelling agency and he became the face of many national commercial campaigns, like one for the cereal Lucky Charm. Upon his parents' divorce, his mother married the businessman Bill Kors, giving her son the chance to reinvent himself. He chose the name Michael David and pursued acting classes, but his mother encouraged him to return to his dreams of a career in fashion. In 1970, the designer transformed his parent's garage on Long Island into an atelier-boutique which he named Iron Butterfly, where he sold altered second-hand garments as well as his own one-of-a-kind creations. Thanks to early sales, Kors was able to move to New York City and to begin studying at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After nine months, he left the program to open his own stand at Lothar's, a temple of New York style. At Lothar's, his talents as a designer were recognised by Dawn Mello, the then vice president of the Bergdorf Goodman department store. Mello encouraged Kors to develop his designs and to get in touch when he launched his own label. In 1981, with support from Mello, he officially launched his eponymous ready-to-wear women's line with Lothar's as its very first client. In 1997, he designed women's ready-to-wear for the prestigious French label Céline, continuing to grow his empire around the world. Humble and universal, the Michael Kors style stands out for its classic cuts that speak to all women. Its range of MMK handbags and accessories interpret the brand's modern, elegant silhouettes in luxurious, chic materials.