Styling Beyoncé, Cher, and J.Lo: Norma Kamali’s Rise from Losing Her Company to Dressing Icons | E88

Leap Academy with Ilana Golan

Norma Kamali built a business with her then-husband, but he controlled the money and decisions and even rehired the woman she had fired. Realizing the partnership was toxic, she walked away with just $98. No company. No safety net. No guarantees. Most people would have crumbled, but Norma reinvented herself. Within months, her bold designs took off, attracting lifelong, high-profile clients. Five decades later, she is still shaping the industry. In this episode, she joins Ilana to share how she overcame early setbacks, left a toxic partnership, and built lasting success.

Norma Kamali is a fashion designer and entrepreneur known for her bold, timeless designs. Her designs have been worn by stars across generations. Always innovating, she recently explored AI, training a model to create designs in her signature style.

In this episode, Ilana and Norma will discuss:

(00:00) Introduction

(01:49) Finding Her Path as a Child

(04:09) How Her Mother Shaped Her Ambition

(10:33) Discovering a Passion for Drawing

(14:41) Pursuing Fashion Illustration

(16:42) Walking Out of a Humiliating Job Interview

(18:32) How an Airline Job Led Her into Fashion

(23:22) Starting a Fashion Business Accidentally

(30:48) Marriage, Business, and a Toxic Partnership

(36:42) Leaving Her Company with Just $98

(41:50) Rebuilding as Omo Norma Kamali

(46:06) Styling Celebrities Across Generations

(49:52) Mastering Sales and Its Challenges

(54:42) Norma’s Secret to Navigating Fear in Business

(56:32) Embracing AI and Future Plans

(01:00:28) The Mindset That Turns Failure into Fuel

Norma Kamali is a fashion designer and entrepreneur known for her bold, timeless designs. Over the past five decades, she has helped shape fashion, from popularizing shoulder pads in the 1980s to creating iconic pieces like the sleeping bag coat, high-heeled sneakers, and Farrah Fawcett’s red swimsuit. Her designs have been worn by stars across generations. Always innovating, she recently explored AI, training a model to create designs in her signature style.

Connect with Norma:

Norma’s Website: normakamali.com

Norma’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/norma-kamali-inc./

Norma’s Instagram: instagram.com/normakamali

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