Wrong Floor, Right Guy

Richard did.

Richard grew up in the Bronx … a bit of loner who loved art and fashion … he ended up as an apprentice in the garment district sketching designs for a big European coat mogul. But to make ends meet he worked part-time in his father’s grocery store. When he thought of giving up on his dream of being a designer and getting into the grocery store business his father said no … and gave him some sage advice … do what you love. So, with $2000 of his own money and a $10,000 loan from a childhood friend, Richard founded his own company which he named after himself. Then he took a little work room right opposite the elevator in a large building where other garment companies were operating and set to work designing trench coats. One day, completely by accident, a coat buyer from major department store got off on the wrong floor and saw Richard’s clothes. He was so impressed he arranged for Richard to show them to store’s President. But Richard didn’t want to crease any of the clothes so he wheeled his rack of clothing 20 blocks to the department store. The president was impressed and ordered $50,000 worth of clothes on the spot. And the rest is history.

Today, 50 years later, Richard’s company, sells over $8 billion of clothes a year and its still named after him … Calvin Richard Klein

Calvin Klein is a great idea because doing what you love can often help you clothes the deal!