Styling Beyoncé, Cher, and J.Lo: Norma Kamali’s Rise from Losing Her Company to Dressing Icons | E88
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How did Norma Kamali's childhood shape her future in fashion?
It's really interesting. It's a great question because I actually was just speaking with Twyla Tharp and we were talking about our childhoods. And I remember growing up in Manhattan in a neighborhood with a lot of kids, and we would always be out on the street playing and doing stuff together. And when we didn't have something to do, I felt that I had to come up with something. So I would make up these games. and make up stuff for everybody to do. And they would ask me, what's next? And I would make up more. And she was saying the same thing, that she would organize these things. And she didn't know why, but she was just organizing them. And I think that for anybody in your audience who is one of these people,
who as a child, and we recognize that it's realizing that it is a childhood action that really identifies the core principle of who a human's going to be or what they're going to do. So I'm still... coming up with games for everybody to play, and she's coming up with things for her dancers to do.
What role did Norma Kamali's mother play in her ambition?
And we were really laughing about it, but I think that's the best telltale sign as to what your path is going to be, even more than if you know what you're going to be doing. But there's a character trait that obviously is defined very early.
And I love that because success leaves clues. We just need to find the clues, right? And we need to connect those dots and they don't initially connect. And for you, you also went through some things in your family that started shaping you a little bit. Can you share a little bit about how did that all shape you?
One of the things is that I think about is when my parents were divorced, it was very rare that this happened. And I grew up in an Irish Catholic neighborhood, and you might have gathered that I'm not Irish and that we were a little different, but the church was very involved in the neighborhood. So it was a big disgrace and... My mother really showed great resolve and determination to be a single mom when nobody else was a single mom in the neighborhood or that we knew of. And she just got a job. a simple job in a factory. She had to support us. And I saw this incredible strength to do everything she could for the family, for my brother and myself. And I remember I was around 11. She said to me, Norma,
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
How did Norma Kamali's childhood shape her future in fashion?
2:30–4:02
2
What role did Norma Kamali's mother play in her ambition?
4:02–8:34
3
How did Norma Kamali transition from illustration to fashion?
8:34–11:02
4
How did an airline job lead Norma Kamali to fashion success?
11:02–16:33
5
How did Norma Kamali start her first fashion store?
16:33–20:55
6
What challenges did Norma Kamali face in her early business?
20:55–1:04:45
Speakers
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