Norma was born Norma Arraez in 1945 in Manhattan, New York. Her mom is Lebanese and her dad is Basque Spanish. He job was as a girl working in her stepfather's candy store in New York City. She loved her mom very much and she looked up to her! She designed great Halloween costumes. She also made great cookies with neat designs on them! She also painted cool paintings. She went to Washington Irving High School a New York City public school. Norma wanted to become a painter. But her mom didn’t. So they agreed that she would be a clothes illustrator. Norma enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in Manhattan. She graduated in 1964. She married Mohammed Houssein Kamali. In 1968 she and her husband opened a basement boutique on Manhattan's East side. Her early designs were dresses and suits with butterflies, trees, clouds, eagles and flowers! She was one of the first to design hot pants. Her designs were updated versions of women suits in a 1940's look. Some of her early customers were Diana Ross, Bianca Jagger and Cher. In 1978 she designed costumes for the film The Wiz. Now she has a web site where she sells lots of all her clothes. She did not like getting her picture taken because she learned so much waited on customers every day if they didn't know who she was. She said, "I constantly learn from them." Norma Kamali is an amazing person!

Image courtesy of Norma Kamali

2000, by Abigail, third grade