When Norma Kamali studied fashion illustration in the 1960s, she never expected to become a designer. So when a job as an airline clerk came along, she was glad to accept it—along with the perk of dirt-cheap flights from New York to London. On those weekend trips abroad, she discovered fashion that was exuberant and eye-catching, so she started loading her suitcase with clothing to sell in the U.S. By the 1970s, she was designing her own pieces out of a shop in New York; soon she was selling them to celebrities like Cher and Bette Midler. Today, after more than 50 years in the fashion industry, Norma Kamali is known for iconic designs like the sleeping bag coat, and the bold red bathing popularized by Farah Fawcett.
1:43 - Intro
4:17 - Norma’s childhood
5:41 - Going to FIT
8:00 - A disheartening fashion opportunity
11:23 - Working for an airline
14:06 - An adventure in London
19:03 - Meeting Eddie Kamali
21:45 - Opening a store
29:04 - Leaving the airline to make clothes
33:38 - Getting attention
37:58 - Bette Midler narrating a fashion show
40:11 - Moving the shop to Madison Ave.
43:07 - Norma’s marriage
44:55 - The sleeping bag coat
48:00 - Norma’s public profile
49:47 - The Farrah Fawcett swimsuit
51:59 - The New York fashion movement
53:24 - Issues with the marriage
58:53 - Leaving the business
63:45 - Starting a new business
64:29 - Experimenting
67:15 - Becoming a global success
69:10 - Walking away
73:12 - The philosophy of clothing
75:40 - Partnering with Walmart
80:02 - Curiosity and strategy
82:05 - Norma’s Book: I Am Invincible
83:25 - The beauty of aging
85:15 - Covid changing the industry
86:40 - Being a pioneer in fashion
88:08 - Luck vs. hard work
Away
Sleeping bag coat
Farrah Fawcett in red swimsuit
Yorkville, Manhattan
FIT
Northwest Orient Airlines
The Spencer Davis Group
I’m a Man
East 53rd Street between 2nd and 3rd Ave
Hotpants
New York Dolls Album Cover
Bette Midler
Bill Cunningham
Studio 54
OMO
Jones Apparel
Norma Kamali sweat jumpsuit
Walmart’s clothing line
I Am Invincible
