Calvin Klein perfume is extremely popular both in the high street shops and with online retailers. Is it so much better than other brands? What is it that distinguishes this particular make from the rest of them?

Let’s have a look at some of the history of the brand to see whether this will provide us with a clue.

As with many perfume houses this designer is predominantly concerned with fashion and only later had he ventured into the Perfume world.

Mr. Klein was born in 1942 in Bronx. He grew up alongside Robert Denning and Ralph Lauren. He attended High School of Art and Design and Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. He started off working for a suit manufacturer.

He launched his first collection in 1968. On this he had worked with his childhood friend Barry K. Schwartz. His sleek designs became popular very quickly. In the 1970's he introduced his trademark jeans which were a great success. Later on the label expanded into swimwear, underwear, accessories and eyewear before finally launching the first Calvin Klein perfume - Calvin for men (1981). Presumably, the unique designs that were simple yet elegant have been favoured by a majority for that very reason.

Since then over 20 different fragrances have been launched and loved by many people worldwide. The ranges seem to be catered for wide audiences and quite like this popularity is achieved is not exactly clear. The brand seems to always get it exactly right and is bang on trend!

Calvin Klein is also one of the leading designers in Unisex Perfumes which goes along with the way fashion is approached by this particular designer. It is controversial, challenges stereotypes and breaks boundaries of people's perception of male/female role. It is almost a monopoly they hold in this field, which possibly contributes to the success of the whole company. Unisex fragrance is a niche market and eventhough others have tried to be a part of it they never got it quite right, whereas CK does with every new release.

In May 2005 the cosmetics giant COTY Inc. bought up the license for CK fragrances and continued developing the brand.

Mr. Klein is considered one of the more controversial designers which may be why he is so popular with both the Public and the Council of Fashion Design.