# Norma Kamali: Norma Kamali (2021)

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2024-12-09
- Length: 1h 29m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021

## Summary

Fashion designer Norma Kamali explains how she built a 50-year career starting from a basement shop in New York, leveraging cheap airline flights to source London fashion, and designing iconic products like the sleeping bag coat and the red swimsuit popularized by Farah Fawcett. She details the painful dissolution of her partnership with her husband Eddie, who mismanaged funds and cheated, forcing her to restart with only $98. Kamali discusses her strategic pivot to licensing with Jones Apparel for her sweatwear line, her decision to leave that partnership to maintain quality control, and her later collaboration with Walmart to bring high-design comfort wear to mass market.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=0) Introduction: Norma Kamali and the AI Model
- [5:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=315) Early Life, FIT, and the Airline Job
- [14:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=874) London Fashion and Opening the First Store
- [35:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=2107) Hot Pants, Celebrities, and Madison Avenue
- [46:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=2795) The Sleeping Bag Coat and Studio 54
- [51:35](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=3095) The Farah Fawcett Swimsuit and Divorce
- [59:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=3573) Restarting with OMO and the Sweatwear License
- [1:09:28](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=4168) Leaving Jones Apparel and the Walmart Partnership
- [1:22:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2024-12-09-norma-kamali-norma-kamali-2021#t=4973) Aging, Legacy, and Future Tech

## Topics

- [Starting a product company](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/starting-a-company)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)

## Most relevant to

founders before launch, companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Norma Kamali (product)
- Sleeping Bag Coat (product)
- Jones Apparel (company)
- Walmart (company)
- Bloomidales (company)
- Farah Fawcett (other)
- Bette Midler (other)
- Smithsonian Museum (other)
- FIT (other)
- Northwest Orient Airlines (company)
- Time Magazine (other)
- Vogue (other)
- Harper's Bazaar (other)
- Dandies (other)
- The Speakeasy (other)
- Spencer Davis Group (other)
- Jimi Hendrix (other)
- Jeff Beck (other)
- Bill Cunningham (other)
- Raquel Welch (other)
- Cher (other)
- Bianca Jagger (other)
- Ian Schrager (other)
- Studio 54 (other)
- Sydney Kimmel (other)
- Joan's Apparel (other)
- Women's Wear Daily (other)
- Halston (other)
- Eddie Kamali (other)
- OMO (other)
- The All in One (product)
- I Am Invincible (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [006: Customizable swimwear with Kelsey Duffy of Versakini](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-04-19-006-customizable-swimwear-with-kelsey-duffy-of-versakini) (Product Startup)
- [Founder Feature: Tabi and Meena Hoshmand of Tursh](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-startup-cpg-podcast/2025-11-14-founder-feature-tabi-and-meena-hoshmand-of-tursh) (The Startup CPG Podcast)
- [021: Using Public Research to Develop WINK Lash and Brow Oil with Megan Cox of Amalie Beauty](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2016-10-04-021-using-public-research-to-develop-wink-lash-and-brow-oil-with-megan-cox-of-am) (Product Startup)
- [044: Turning customizable jackets into a multi-million dollar business, Elyse Daniels of Exodus Wear](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2017-03-14-044-turning-customizable-jackets-into-a-multi-million-dollar-business-elyse-dani) (Product Startup)
- [087: Purpose is a Big Part of Consumer Product Success](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/product-startup/2021-08-04-087-purpose-is-a-big-part-of-consumer-product-success) (Product Startup)

## Citing this page

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