Norma Kamali


Norma Kamali is an American fashion designer. She is best known for the "sleeping bag" coat, garments made from silk parachutes, and versatile multi-use pieces.

Early life and education

Born in New York City, Kamali grew up there in a middle class family on Manhattan's Upper East Side. She aspired to be a painter. Kamali attended the Fashion Institute of Technology and earned a degree in illustration. Upon graduating, Kamali worked as a freelance fashion illustrator for a year. She also worked for Northwest Orient Airlines from 1966 to 1967.

Designs

In 1969, Kamali opened a boutique with her then husband. She became known for her line of clothing made of real silk parachute material, which included the innovation of being adjustable in length and fit by draw string. Kamali designed the red one-piece bathing suit worn by Farrah Fawcett in the iconic 1976 poster as well as the bathing suit worn by Whitney Houston on the back cover of her 1985 debut album. Farrah Fawcett's suit was donated to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History in 2011. She is also credited with popularizing the shoulder pad in womenswear in the 1980s. Her work is included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Kamali was the first designer to create an online store on eBay. In addition to designing clothing, she has also produced a fitness, health and beauty line. In 2008, Kamali produced a collection for Walmart.

Awards and honors

In 2010 Kamali received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater, Fashion Institute of Technology.
In 1981 Kamali won a Coty Award, called the "Winnie" but formally titled the American Fashion Critics' Award.
Kamali has a plaque on the Fashion Walk of Fame.
She received the CFDA Board of Directors Special Tribute Award in 2005, and was awarded the CFDA Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016, which was presented to her by Michael Kors.
In 2019, Kamali received the Women's Entrepreneurship Day Pioneer Award at the United Nations in recognition for her achievements in the fashion industry.

Personal life

Kamali is of Lebanese and Basque Spanish descent