Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance, Inc (NASDAQ: ULTA) is a chain of beauty superstores in the United States. Each store is outfitted with a full-service salon as well. Ulta carries a variety of cosmetics and skincare brands, men's and women's fragrances, and professionally licensed haircare products. The company is headquartered in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

In December 1999, Lyn Kirby became the current President and Chief Executive Officer.^[2] In October 2007, this company became publicly traded on the NASDAQ. In 2008, this company opened a second distribution center in Phoenix, Arizona.On April 26, 2010, Ulta announced that Mr. Carl "Chuck" Rubin would be appointed Chief Operating Officer and President, and as a member of the Board of Directors, effective May 10, 2010. According to public filings, Chuck Rubin earned over $11.1MM in 2010, making him one of the 20 highest paid CEOs in Chicago.^[3]

As of March 2011, Ulta has $730.5 million in total assets.^[4]

External links[link]

ULTA

References[link]

http://stores.ulta.com/store/index.php?action=state&state=NY&stores_number=66&zoom=2&latitude=40.777914&longitude=-73.032289

1. ^ "History of Ulta Salon & Cosmetics - Discount Beauty Retailer Grows with Prestige, Mass and Salon Products". Walter Martin Sales. February 20, 2012. http://www.waltermartinsales.com/2012/02/history-of-ulta-salon-cosmetics-discount-beauty-retailer-grows-with-prestige-mass-and-salon-products/. 
2. ^ Ulta.com - Cosmetics, Fragrance, Salon and Beauty Gifts
3. ^ [1]
4. ^ "Ulta 2011 Sales Expected Between 5% and 7% for Established Stores – Beauty Salon Coupons Enhance Growth". Quarterly Retail Review. March 14, 2011. http://www.quarterlyretailreview.com/2011/03/ulta-2011-sales-expected-between-5-and-7-for-established-stores-beauty-salon-coupons-enhance-growth/. 

External links[link]

• Official website

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Michael Kors
Michael Kors Photo: Ed Kavishe, Fashion Wire Press
Born	(1959-08-09) August 9, 1959 (age 52) Long Island, New York, United States
Nationality	American
Education	Fashion Institute of Technology
Occupation	Fashion designer
Spouse	Lance LePere (since 2011)[1]
Awards	1999 CFDA award for womenswear designer of the year 2003 CFDA award for menswear designer of the year
Labels	Michael Kors

Michael Kors (born Karl Anderson, Jr.; August 9, 1959)^[2] is an American fashion designer. He is best known for designing classic American sportswear for women.

Personal life[link]

Kors was born Karl Anderson, Jr.^[3] on Long Island, New York, the son of Joan Hamburger, a former model, and her first husband, Karl Anderson, a college student.^[4][5] When his mother remarried when he was five, he was told he could change his name, and he chose to become Michael David Kors.^[6] He grew up in Merrick, New York and graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in Bellmore, New York. Kors' mother is Jewish and his father was of Swedish descent.^[3][7][8][9] Kors currently resides in New York City and married his longtime partner Lance LePere in Southampton, New York on August 16, 2011.^[1]

Career[link]

Michael Kors began designing clothes at the age of 19 and studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.^[10] In 1981, Kors launched the Michael Kors womenswear line at Bloomingdales, Bergdorf Goodman, Lord & Taylor, Neiman Marcus, and Saks Fifth Avenue. Building on his success, Kors was named the first ever women's ready-to-wear designer and creative director for the French fashion house Celine in 1997. In his tenure at Celine, Kors turned the fashion house around with blockbuster accessories and a critically acclaimed ready-to-wear line. Kors left Celine in October 2003 to concentrate on his own brand. Kors launched his menswear line in 2002.

In addition to the Michael Kors runway collection, the MICHAEL Michael Kors and KORS Michael Kors lines were launched in 2004. KORS is considered the mid-tier line, between the runway and MICHAEL collections. The MICHAEL line includes women's handbags and shoes as well as women's ready-to-wear apparel. The KORS line contains footwear and Jeans. Currently, Kors has full collection boutiques in New York, Beverly Hills, Palm Beach, Manhasset, and Chicago. This year, Michael Kors celebrates 30 years in business.

A dress by Michael Kors, 2010

Among the celebrities who have worn Michael Kors' designs are Jennifer Lopez, Rachel McAdams, Michelle Obama, Elissa, Heidi Klum, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.^{[citation needed]} Joan Allen wore his gown when she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the The Contender. In addition, Jennifer Garner wore a custom creation as an Academy Award presenter in 2006. As Creative Director of Celine, Michael Kors designed many outfits for actresses to wear on screen. Gwyneth Paltrow wore Kors' designs in the movie Possession. Cate Blanchett also wore his clothes in the movie Bandits. In addition, he outfitted Rene Russo's character in the 1999 hit remake of The Thomas Crown Affair. Elissa wore his dress in the World Music Awards 2005. The ad campaigns for Michael Kors often reflects the jet-set sportswear that Kors fans are fond of. Previous campaigns include the model Carmen Kass on the tarmac of an airport, on a safari in Africa, and relaxing on a yacht.

Kors is a judge on the Emmy-nominated reality television program Project Runway, which aired on Bravo for five seasons; subsequent seasons aired on Lifetime.

Other honors[link]

In 2010, Kors received the Oliver R. Grace Award for Distinguished Service in Advancing Cancer Research, an annual honor bestowed by the Cancer Research Institute, a U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing immune system-based treatments for cancer. He received the honor at a black-tie ceremony held June 16, 2010 at The Mandarin Oriental in New York City. In June 2010, Kors was the youngest recipient ever of the Geoffrey Beene Lifetime Achievement Award from the CFDA and received the Fragrance Foundation’s FiFi Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Legal issues[link]

In January 2009, the estate of artist/designer Tony Duquette sued Kors for trademark infringement after Kors allegedly used Duquette's name and images in promoting Kors' 2009 resortwear collection.^[11]

Pop culture trivia[link]

Michael Kors was referenced in the film 'The Devil Wears Prada' by Meryl Streep's character, Miranda Priestly. In the scene, Miranda sweeps into her office and gives a list of instructions to her personal assistant (Emily Blunt). Miranda commands Emily: "RSVP 'yes' to Michael Kors' party and I want the driver drop to me off at 930 and pick me up at 945 sharp."

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Stern, Gary M., "Kors' Design Leads To More Outlets, Overseas Growth", Investor's Business Daily, May 25, 2012

External links[link]

• Michael Kors biography, Michael Kors Biography
• MichaelKors.com, Michael Kors Official Website
  • Company Mission Statement, Mission Statement
• Michael Kors designer profile at Fashion Model Directory
• Project Runway Season 5
• File:MICHAEL KORS 221.jpg#filelinks, Michael Kors dress