He is the chief creative officer of his brand,[3] Michael Kors, which sells men's and women's ready-to-wear, accessories, watches, jewelry, footwear, and fragrance.

[19] However, he dropped out after only nine months and took a job at a boutique called Lothar's across from Bergdorf Goodman on 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan, where he started as a salesperson and went on to become both the designer and visual display head for the store.

He got back on his feet by 1997 and launched a lower priced line and at the same time was named the first women's ready-to-wear designer for French house Celine.

[citation needed] Among the celebrities who have dressed in Kors' designs are Nicole Kidman, Tiffany Haddish, Reese Witherspoon, Lupita Nyong'o, Olivia Wilde, Blake Lively, Kate Hudson, Renee Russo, Jennifer Lawrence, Taylor Swift, Kate Middleton, Hillary Clinton, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lopez, Emily Blunt,[21] Kristen Stewart,[22] Ariana DeBose,[23] Vice President Kamala Harris,[24] Heidi Klum, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Sigourney Weaver[25] and Ciara.

[26] Michelle Obama wore a black sleeveless dress from the designer for her first term official portrait as First Lady and later sported Kors again at the 2015 State of the Union address.

[27] Viola Davis wore a custom Michael Kors Collection gown when accepting a Golden Globe for best supporting actress in a motion picture for her role in Fences.

As creative director of Celine, Kors designed many outfits for actresses to wear on screen, including Gwyneth Paltrow in Possession;[28] and Rene Russo in The Thomas Crown Affair.