Norma Kamali
(1945 - )
Norma Kamali was born Norma Arraez in New York City, in 1945. In 1961 she enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York to study fashion illustration, she graduated in 1964.
After graduating she found a job at the offices of Northwest Orient Airlines, as an airline reservation clerk. In 1967, she married Mohammed (Eddie) Houssein Kamali, and together they opened her first store, in 1969. She started selling her overseas finds together with her own bold and funky designs, inspired by the pop culture and street fashions of the sixties, such as pants and leotards.
In 1974, the Kamalis moved to a larger store on Madison Avenue, where her designs had matured and featured suits and lace dresses. Following her divorce in 1977, she opened her own retail boutique and wholesale firm, OMO, initials for “on my own.” She received international attention for her weightless, fiber-filled sleeping bags and her jumpsuits of parachute nylon.
In the late 1970s, Kamali began working with sweater-shirting, a fabric that was then used only for athletics and sporting wear. She made jackets, skirts, and narrow and baggy trousers. Her "rah-rah" skirts were the first short skirts to sell in a volume since the mini skirt of the early 1960s. She used jersey frequently for her broad-shouldered dresses and tops. She showed boldness in her choice of fabrics, making up skirts from Mexican tablecloths or remnants from the cutting-room floor. In the 1980s, Kamali produced several successful collections of sportswear and one-piece bathing suits which were remarkable for their cut-out sections and strong use of color. Kamali is an innovative designer who blends retro style with current, and futuristic fabrics for a particular look.
Her creativity and contributions to fashion have been recognized through various awards such as the Coty American Fashion Critics Award in 1981 and 1982; The Council of Fashion Designer of America Award in 1982 and 1985; The Council of Fashion Designers of America Award in 1984 and 1986. Kamali was also recognized by the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, by the Fashion Group, and The Fashion Walk of Fame. In 2001, the Manhattan Chamber Commerce gave her the 2001 Business Outreach Award for her outstanding work with public school students.
Kamali is credited with introducing some of the most symbolic looks of the 1970s and 1980s.
