Famed for inventing and reinventing many of the fashion fundamentals we now consider everyday staples, including the sleeping bag coat in 1973, tracksuits as ready-to-wear throughout the ‘80s, and a range of healed sneakers and swimsuits, New York-based designer Norma Kamali turns 80 this year — and is still going full throttle.

Credited with a slew of groundbreaking innovations that have influenced global style over her 57 years in business, Kamali opened her first boutique in 1969 from which she made waves with her jersey and silk parachute clothing, which was adjustable in length and fit. She designed the red swimsuit worn by Farrah Fawcett in that iconic ‘70s poster (so famous it has its own Wikipedia page), as well as one modelled by Whitney Houston on the back cover of her 1985 self-titled debut album.

Norma Kamali Spring 1989

Norma Kamali Spring 1981 Sweats collection

Kamali was also an early instigator of the ‘80s shoulder pad movement, but reached peak fame with her Sweats collection, which featured ‘rah rah’ skirts and a variety of casual pieces that flew off the catwalk and into people’s wardrobes. Debuted in 1980, queues formed down the street to get into the New York department stores that stocked it. And while her label is still going strong, showing new collections at New York Fashion Week each season, Kamali’s work can also now be viewed in global cultural institutions including the Met, Smithsonian and the National Museum of American History, while among her many industry accolades, she has a plaque on the Fashion Walk of Fame.

Today, Kamali has expanded to the worlds of wellness and entertainment, from livestreaming her midday workouts alongside her staff to her 2021 book I Am Invincible, which touches on fitness, health, beauty, and style, as well as best practices for aging with power. Her 17,000 square foot West Village headquarters sets the scene for both her company and extra-curricular interests, including films, events, and her podcast, Norma Kamalife, which features engaging conversations with interesting people from the worlds of fashion, beauty, technology, fitness, dance and music. “We discuss women and power, aging with power, business and entrepreneurship, survival and determination, comedy, and meditation,” she says.

Growing up, Kamali came to fashion through her love for illustration. “I studied anatomy, and understanding the body and the way it moves made a natural fit for designing swimwear and activewear, but also the way fabric drapes and reacts to movement. I was fascinated by fashion illustrators of the ‘40s and ‘50s and that exposed me to fashion nuances and gestures.”

An innovative designer and businesswomen, she forged a pathway for herself in what was, at the time, an infamously ruthless male-dominated industry. “I didn’t think about it at the time,” Kamali says simply. “And I didn’t realise how rare it was… my mother led by example in showing me that anything is possible if you want to get it done.”

What drove Kamali then is the same motivation that drives her now – “creative freedom and the [freedom] to live a creative life” – and the ethos of the brand she built has remained unchanged, too. “It must be authentic, purposeful and serve the needs of women.” She continues to set herself apart by being “true to [her] identity” in whatever industry guise she is channelling that moment. Her personal, everyday look is “casual and menswear-y”, and she adopts “uniforms” for both work and play – casual, comfortable, practical. “When I am designing, I am looking at styles on mannequins or on models in a mirror, and I am often in the frame. So, I try to make myself invisible.”

And although her decades-long history is impressive, Kamali is far more interested in the future than the past. Having been actively exploring the potential of AI long before it became de rigueur, Kamali has been passionate about technology since her first job at Northwest Orient Airlines, where she worked as a reservations operator. Trained on a UNIVAC computer in 1964, she was one of the first fashion brands to set up a website in the mid-90s, and was a pioneer in e-commerce.

Norma Kamali AW25

Norma Kamali AW25

In June 2023, Kamali enrolled in an online generative AI course online with MIT. The course inspired her to forge yet another new chapter, AI x The Norma Kamali Archive, which she feels may be the most transformative yet. “I am fascinated by all that is possible with AI and new technology,” she says. “I am naturally curious and interested in technology so the [evolution] is effortless.”

AI x The Norma Kamali Archive is what Kamali calls her ‘Karl Lagerfeld’ moment – and represents an intriguing way of future-proofing her legacy when she’s no longer around. “When Karl was asked by Chanel to build a collection, he went directly to [Coco Chanel’s] archive and, with respect, created magnificent collections from her designs. I had a custom program developed exclusively from my archive. This program can be used to create present and future collections for Norma Kamali with the true authenticity of the brand.”

Indeed, Kamali’s fascination with technology has been a constant throughout her career, with QR codes forming an integral part of her window displays and installations. She invented ‘try before you buy’ in 1998, allowing clients to have a box sent to them with a selection of clothing, from which they only paid for what they kept, long before online shopping and smartphones. Today, her website features all her collections, as well as the Normalife brand of skincare and scent, and her home collection.

Kamali visits London often, or as often as she can, and loves the history, culture, “royalty and dignity” of the place. “The architecture says it all,” she explains. “The people, though, are the best!” She particularly gravitates towards South Bank, which she refers to as a “small epicentre of culture” where restaurants, theatres, art galleries and skate parks all come together, with numerous landmarks as the backdrop.

Her favourite building is the new Sadler’s Wells East in Stratford — a huge fan of the ballet, she loves how the Italian red brick building looks like a series of “piled-up and interlocking rectangular boxes”. She also can’t get enough of Sessions Arts Club when she’s in town, “with its soaring ceilings, chandeliers, and decaying walls, it always feels like a rendezvous meeting point for creatives.”

Kamali is grateful for what she’s built and the lifestyle it has afforded her, but says she could do without any of it, she just needs friends, family, and her beloved dog, Wally. The year will continue with “more exploration into projects that force me to learn” while focusing on health and wellbeing. “I want to live a long life, and longevity and fitness and good health are the only choices if this is the goal,” she says. “I appreciate every day I get to live a creative life.”

Visit normakamali.com

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