History of the Michael Kors Brand
Michael Kors is a real person, as you may know. Karl Anderson Jr. was his real name, though.
Karl was born on August 9, 1959, in New York City. When he was five years old, his mother, a former model, remarried. This was when he worked with Bill Kors on his first venture: his mother’s wedding gown.
He took advantage of the marriage to ‘baptise’ himself with a new name. He took his stepfather’s surname as well as changing his first name. That was the (re)birth of Michael Kors.
He turned his parents’ home on Long Island, New York, into a shop where he exhibited and sold the clothes and things he created while he was a youngster. It was dubbed the Iron Butterfly by him.
1970s
Michael Kors began his education into style at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City in 1977. However, he left school nine months later to work as a salesman in a boutique named Lothar’s. He later rose through the ranks of the boutique’s designer and visual display head. Though he never left the country to pursue fashion in any of the more renowned places like Paris or Milan.
1980s
Dawn Mello, a Bergdorf style director, was the first to discover the displays and clothes. As a result, he founded Bergdorf Goodman in 1981 to launch Michael Kors’ first women’s line.
He then invited Michael Kors to demonstrate Bergdorf Goodman his collection. With this, he debuted his Michael Kors women’s line at Bergdorf Goodman in 1981.
1990s
The womenswear line was a success, and the Kors collection is now available at Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, and Saks Fifth Avenue, three years later.
KORS Michael Kors was established as a licensee in 1990.
By 1993, the business had been forced to declare bankruptcy. It underwent a metamorphosis during the following years. Michael Kors kept designing for others, and he was even able to create a gown for former First Lady Michelle Obama’s first official picture.
The Revival
Michael Kors was the first women’s ready-to-wear designer for Celine, an LVMH-owned French fashion company, in 1997. Celine flourished under his guidance. As a consequence, Kors gets promoted to creative director of Celine the following year, 1998.
Noughties
In 2002, he released his first men’s collection, which was a watershed moment for him.
Michael Kors had left Celine by October 2003 and was concentrating on developing his own brand with a unique style. Michael Kors Holdings Ltd helped make this possible (MKH Ltd).
In 2004, the MICHAEL Michael Kors brand of accessories and clothing was introduced. The brand was first launched in shops in the United States, and it has since expanded to include accessories, ready-to-wear, swimwear, denim, and footwear.
By 2011, Stroll and Chou had successfully guided MKH Ltd’s first public offering on the New York Stock Exchange. The two investors, as well as Michael Kors, became billionaires as a result of this. Chou has sold the rest of his Kors stock by June 2018.
Today
MKH Ltd currently has approximately 555 shops, including concessions, throughout the globe. Michael Kors is still the honorary chairman and chief creative officer of the company.
Michael Kors and Fossil initially collaborated in the autumn of 2004. The Fossil Group was granted the right to design, produce, and sell Michael Kors timepieces as part of this collaboration. As a result, MK has been added to the Fossil Group’s already extensive roster of brand names.
The Fossil Group inked a new 10-year licence deal with MKH Ltd in 2014, allowing them to continue producing timepieces and even add jewellery lines until 2024. In addition, the two businesses are working together to increase their men’s watch products.
The brand’s wearables, which run Wear OS and are based on Fossil’s smartwatch platforms, are becoming more popular among our readers. We look at the finest Michael Kors smartwatches available in this post.
Why should you invest in a Michael Kors smartwatch for ladies?
For many Wear OS wristwatch users, technology is not part of their essential features, but don’t overlook the design. Michael Kors smartwatches, as a fashion brand, focuses on the latter. Its wearables come in a variety of metal finishes, stone studded options, and colourful statement colours.
In terms of technology, the wearables are based on Fossil’s platform, with updated watches running the newest Gen 5 and Gen 5E hardware. As a result, they’re more flashy than the watchmaker’s more grounded products. If Skagen or Fossil wearables aren’t to your liking, you’ll most likely find something in Michael Kors’ collection.
So if you’re in search of a designer watch, let’s check out the 4 best Michael Kors Smartwatches for Ladies…
1. Michael Kors Access Runway Women’s Smartwatch
The style and attraction of the Access Runway smartwatch builds on the success of its predecessor, the Access Sofie. Three buttons on the side, have different functions to the central one, which will open the menu and scroll through the various features available. The two smaller buttons are customisable in the watch settings.
Design
The display design is from the Sofie, with a rounded face and an easy-to-read 1.19-inch AMOLED display with 390 x 390 px resolution. The screen is ‘always on’, but darkens when inactive. Charging, via a small magnetic puck attached to the back, is straightforward. It comes in a choice of colours and the option of a cheaper silicone strap instead of the standard metal bracelet. The Access has a 3 ATM rating, making it splash-resistant but unsuitable for swimming.
Inside
Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 2100 chipset, the Runway has the same configuration as the Access Sofie with 4GB of storage and a similar speed. The Runway reintroduces the Michael Kors Access app, adding features to the already durable design. Users can switch to different watch faces at different times of the day, enabling a ‘work look’ or a casual display, with the option to add a photo from Instagram or Facebook.
Health and fitness tracking
For health-conscious users, the watch monitors the heart rate every 20 minutes or on-demand when in Google Fit. It can track workouts on apps such as Google Fit and Move Minutes. Though, it’s best for lighter fitness activities. Unlike other Access watches, there’s the bonus of built-in GPS and Google Pay.
The Runway is compatible with iOS and Android, though the Wear OS app must still be running in the background to receive notifications on iOS and iMessage or SMS messaging is currently unavailable through iPhones. Google Assistant is among the more useful features – using the activation phrase “Ok, Google” and opens Google apps for both IOS and Android users. The battery has a user-friendly magnetic charger and lasts about a day.
The Michael Kors Access Runway watch is a stylish, high-end smartwatch, but isn’t really for those who wish to use the watch for fitness tracking. It’s certainly more elegant than other competitors and is sure to attract attention.
2. Michael Kors Runway MKT5060 Women’s Smartwatch
A new design took the renowned Runway and made it even better than before.
With a case thickness of 7 mm by 41 mm and a band width of 8mm, this is not an overbearing watch.
Featuring heart rate monitoring, waterproof technology, contactless NFC payments, GPS capabilities, and more, this Michael Kors access style in rose gold-tone steel with a glitter top ring offers a new level of fully personalised functionality. Plus it has a water-resistance rating of 30m.
Design new digital dial layouts for the round display that are linked to and clearly display your heart rate, allow you to get notifications (while on the go), and automatically track your activity from the sidewalk to the gym. Android and iPhone users may use Google’s Wear OS smartwatches, which are compatible with both devices.
3. Michael Kors Gen 5E Lexington Women’s Smartwatch
You can wear the famous Lexington 2 whether you’re getting dressed up for a night out or keeping things more laid back at home. Stainless steel is used for the construction, with rose and gold-toned centre links.
You can use it to communicate with your Google Assistant, get notification alerts, or listen to music directly from your wristwatch, among other things.
With 8GB of storage, you can download much more content than you could with prior versions, and the additional RAM improves overall performance.
A new ultra-low-power system based on the Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 is designed to offer better ambient modes as well as longer battery life for smartphones and tablets.
Smartwatches featuring Wear OS functionality are compatible with both iPhone and Android smartphones. Wear OS and others are trademarked by Google LLC, which also owns the Wear OS logo. Wear OS smartwatches are compatible with Android smartphones running version 6.0 or above (save for the Go version) and iOS devices running version 10.0 or higher. Platforms and countries may support a different set of functionalities than one another.
4. Michael Kors Access MKGO Women’s Smartwatch
Michael Kors’ reputation for excellent smartwatches remains intact. Largely due to models like the Michael Kors Access Runway and the now unavailable, Access Sofie. Until, that is until we get to the Michael Kors Access MKGO, the brand’s newest timepiece. This is the company’s first true athletic smartwatch, and it’s a good start. Especially with the addition of aluminium and silicon for a long-lasting build.
A few hardware shortcomings hold it back a little, but the MKGO checks nearly all the boxes when it comes to gym-goers and ardent runners. It’s a tempting idea for those seeking something light to wear while exercising, and the watch itself is still attractive.
Although it lacks the pizazz and capability of some other wearables, it is a satisfying wristwatch for Wear OS enthusiasts as a sports timepiece that is light and simple to wear whether you’re walking, jogging, or swimming.
The battery life is claimed to be 24 hours, depending on use, with an additional two days in low power mode; a magnetised USB fast charger is included, which charges the battery to 80% in less than an hour.
This item is suggested for swimming in shallow water since it is waterproof to a depth of 50 metres. An accelerometer, a gyroscope, and an ambient light sensor are among the other features.
Conclusion – Are Michael Kors Smartwatches for Ladies worth it?
If you want to make a stylish statement, search no further, a Michael Kors watch will undoubtedly be for you. The company provides a variety of styles (particularly for women), including new technological and beautiful smartwatches. You’ll undoubtedly discover one that compliments your day’s attire.
Nevertheless, since Michael Kors already has established itself as a household brand in the fashion world, the black market has taken notice. As a consequence, there are many counterfeit Michael Kors copies on the market.
Some would-be fashionistas took advantage of this to get accessories for a very cheap price. On account of the fact, they don’t care about the watchmaking or the quality of the watch. All that matters to them is that they have something with the large MK logo on it. This is one of the reasons why the black market thrives despite the fact that most people are aware it is illegal.
But at the same time, some people just want a beautiful watch at a cheap price. They’re not worried about features. Who wouldn’t want to purchase one, particularly because it’s much less expensive than ones seen in malls and boutiques? They’d be unhappy to learn later that the hands had ceased working or that the battery had died after a few months.
We hope you find this information useful as you search for your next watch (Michael Kors or others).
If you’re interested in shopping for the man in your life, check out the best luxury smartwatches for men.
Follow us on social media to stay up to date with our latest articles
      |
Last Updated on January 13, 2023
Multi-disciplinary writer and illustrator. Experience in delivering creative work for both print and online with focus on scientific blogs.
Particularly interested in microbiology and neurobiology.
Her work has been used in a variety of sources from scientific publications, social media, blogs, books and more.