Costa, Francisco

(1966- )

   Born in Brazil, Costa has family roots in the apparel industry. He arrived in the United States in the early 1990s and studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He was recruited as a designer for Bill Blass soon after and then by Oscar de la Renta for his signature collection, Pierre Balmain Couture, and the de la Renta Pink Label. In 1998, he joined Tom Ford at Gucci as a senior designer, and afterward, has been with Calvin Klein since 2002. Costa has demonstrated his ability to fill Klein's shoes. As creative director for Calvin Klein, Costa has maintained the clean, soft Calvin look. Costa is the recipient of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) Award for womenswear designer of the year for 2006.