Anne Klein is an American sportswear brand that has weathered a tumultuous history. Anne Klein founded her eponymous label in 1968 with her second husband, Matthew Rubenstein. The brand opened its own in-store boutique within Saks Fifth Avenue in 1971, a first for a sportswear line.
Klein debuted the brand’s signature lion motif in 1972, after her own astrological sign. She died of breast cancer at the age of 51 andwas succeeded by Donna Karan (formerly Klein’s design assistant) and Louis Dell’Olio in 1974. Karan ushered in an era of mix-and-match separates, and the pair launched Anne Klein II in 1984, touted as designer styling without designer pricing.