Tastemaker: Kevin Carrigan

Photo: Getty Images

Out's November issue showcases our annual Tastemakers portfolio, which highlights the hippest arbiters of style currently leading the charge at the forefront of the nation's ongoing cultural revolution.

From fashion phenoms to chic restaurateurs to dance company directors, the impeccable taste and sensibility of these men make our lives simpler, prettier, happier, and richer. Today's trendsetter is Kevin Carrigan:

As creative director for Calvin Klein and ck Calvin Klein, Kevin Carrigan oversees the brands' styles of men's and women's sportswear, denim, underwear, accessories, licensed products, and even store designs. With $4.5 billion in licensed retail sales and over 230 shops worldwide, that's a lot of responsibility, but Carrigan takes it on with aplomb, approaching each season one theme at a time.

"It's extremely important for me to have one consistent message for the season that can be applied to different areas and different regions -- one emotion with many expressions," he says. "The process evolves from color to concept, moving from the two-dimensional to the three-dimensional form."

Carrigan studied at London's Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication and earned his master's degree in fashion design at the Royal College of Art, then cut his teeth at Nicole Farhi in France and Max Mara in Italy -- though his real taste for fashion developed while watching his grandmother, a seamstress, at work.

-- CHRIS ROVZAR

Previously > Steven Durbahn & Jonathan Morr > George Yabu & Glenn Pushelberg