close
Anne Klein
This storied American sportswear brand has weathered a tumultuous history. Anne Klein founded her eponymous label in 1968 with her second husband, Matthew Rubinstein. The brand opened its own in-store boutique within Saks Fifth Avenue in 1971, a first for a sportswear line. Klein debuted the brand's signature lion motif in 1972, after her own astrological sign. She died of breast cancer at the age of 51 and was succeeded by Donna Karan (formerly Klein's design assistant) and Louis Dell'Olio in 1974. Karan ushered in an era of mix-and-match separates, and the pair launched Anne Klein II in 1984, touted as designer styling without designer pricing. After more than a decade, Karan left Anne Klein to launch her own label, and Dell'Olio took over as head designer. The ensuing years saw a revolving door of designers, from Richard Tyler in 1993 to Patrick Robinson in 1994 to Isaac Franco and Ken Kaufman in 1996. Charles Nolan took over in 2001, and the company opened its flagship boutique in Soho the following year. The label honed its focus under Nolan, providing chic careerwear like blazers, tweed trousers, A-line and pencil skirts, cotton button-ups, and leather jackets. Nolan unexpectedly announced that he was leaving the company to campaign for presidential candidate Howard Dean in 2003 and was succeeded by Michael Smaldone, who debuted the spring 2004 collection. Industry favorite Isabel Toledo joined Anne Klein as creative director of the designer line in 2007, but the company shut down the collection after only two seasons. Former Michael Kors senior designer Ted Kim came onboard as vice-president of design for Anne Klein New York Sportswear in 2008, and the company relaunched the AK Anne Klein line as a more affordable lifestyle label, offering handbags, jewelry, denim, footwear, and activewear. The label introduced an extension of the AK line called AK Anne Klein Sport at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2008, featuring athletic-inspired apparel, outerwear, and bags. Anne Klein's total volume is estimated at $500 million.
