What is Michael Kors's birth name?

Michael Kors’s birth name was Karl Anderson Jr.

He was born on August 9, 1959, on Long Island, New York. His mother, Joan Hamburger, had been a model, and his biological father was Karl Anderson Sr. The future designer did not begin life with the name Michael Kors.

When he was five, his mother married Bill Kors. Around that time, Karl Anderson Jr. adopted the surname Kors, and his mother allowed him to choose a new first name. He selected Michael and later used the full professional name Michael David Kors. The name change is the reason “Michael David Kors” is his familiar public name but not his birth name.

Kors developed an interest in clothing very young and eventually attended New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. He launched his own label in 1981 and became known for polished American sportswear, accessories and a glamorous, easygoing style. The designer’s original name is therefore Karl Anderson Jr., not Karl Kors or Michael David Kors.