Norma Kamali reflects on why remaining private and letting her clothes be the focus protected her career from the churn of fashion trends.
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Eddie Kamali spent early business funds on drugs and nightlife
“And he was very into drugs, and very into the nightlife, and money is being spent on drugs, and being spent on things that are not business related, and it became more and more difficult for me to get fabric, and to just Sort of do the basic things that you ne…”
Insight
Norma Kamali: Wholesale distribution erodes profit margins and brand control
“Once you get into wholesale, There are gonna be all kinds of questions wanting discounts, wanting, ah, all kinds of promotional money you're in their hands. They are also buying other brands who compete with you and you lose the control you have right now.”
Assertion Supported
Kamali: American Design Houses Did Not Truly Exist Until the 1970s
“It wasn't until the seventies that being a designer in a design house was an American concept, right? So the jobs that you would get in the sixties would be manufacturers who knocked off European fashion. Even the department stores at the time would copy the c…”
Assertion Not checkable as stated
Kamali: Copying is a way of life and most of fashion industry copies
“It's sort of, to be honest, it's sort of a way of life in the fashion industry. There's a whole, most of the industry copies”
Disclosure
Kamali: Dropped claims against copycat designer to gift her dress pattern instead
“What I want to do is drop all of the charges against her, and I'm going to send her a pattern of the dress with instructions on how to make it. And I said, and you know what? Now she's not taking advantage of me. I gave her a gift, and that's it.”
Opinion
Kamali: Halston's JCPenney deal killed his career and created retail stigma
“When Halston made a decision to do a big box, I think it was Penny's, it killed his career. And so, you know, word has always been, you don't want to get involved with those, because for your reputation, it's not good.”