…………………THE END……………..It wasn’t only the end of my Fall show……but the fall show of 1993 was also the end of my TWENTY YEAR career being the head designer of Anne Klein, which I shared with Donna Karan for ten years…..Anne, Donna and I were the nucleus of the company……There is no doubt, our direction and leadership is what made the company the success it became…..After I left there was a series of five or six designers who followed me….I don’t believe any of them created more than two or three collections before they were fired!……After this stream of designers the Anne Klein Couture Collection was finally closed due to a severe decrease in business….It was a disaster!…..After going through a variety of designers the Anne Klein Couture Collection had totally lost its’ identity and status, and quickly became a shadow of what it once was…The troves of devoted customers were abandoning the company….Due to the fact that many of the licensees no longer had a clear design direction from these new designers, they too lost their relevance and closed their Anne Klein divisions……”Anne Klein” as a brand name lost its’ RELEVANCE!….The “KISS OF DEATH”…….Terrible management and bad judgement was the cause for this FAILURE……When the Anne Klein Company was finally sold it was called a “FIRE SALE” by the press…It sold for a pittance of what it was worth when I left the company…..After the dynasty of the creators, Anne Klein, Donna Karan and myself…..which lasted for 26 YEARS….it was a terrible conclusion to what was once considered one of the biggest power houses of American Sportswear….This story was not unique…..Many designer name companies closed after the designer no longer was the nucleus of the company, and the “business men” took over the reigns…..I’m sure Anne Klein, as the saying goes, was turning in her grave to see what had happened to the company she put her heart and soul into!……..There is also the saying….”all good things must come to an end” and my end had come…..However, new adventures awaited me!!!………I hope you enjoyed this retrospective!
A privilege to see the beautiful clothing you created. All would look fantastic today too. Thank you for sharing all this with those of us who were not able to be your couture customers.
Sexy 😁
Your retrospective has been most enjoyable …and informative, Louis. I was a loyal customer of Anne Klein II,….with a few Anne Klein Couture pieces (which I still have). The demise was lamented. Think maybe the powers that be should have followed the adage: “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” Your clothing has proven the timelessness of beautiful design, workmanship and materials.