David Shankbone · CC BY 3.0

Launched his fashion company in 1968 with almost no capital and built it, within a decade, into a name synonymous with American minimalism. His 1974 line of tight-fitting designer jeans sold $200,000 worth of product in its first week and helped invent the idea of jeans as a status label rather than plain workwear. He later extended the Calvin Klein name into fragrances, underwear and eyewear, and won three CFDA awards over his career before stepping back from day-to-day design.