Donna Karan
Donna Karan is the founder of the eponymous clothing line DKNY. At a time when power suits dominated professional wear, Donna Karan shifted the paradigm by inventing the “body suit” among other sexy, streamlined pieces. In the 1980s, she made a statement by selling complementary, multi-functional ensembles of draped shirts, shawls, jersey sweaters, fluid jackets, and skirts. She instilled it in women to secure seven specific items for their wardrobes.
She has since appended her name to haute couture collections as well as products like lingerie, hosiery, sleepwear, eyewear, and even home furnishings. She is also responsible for such top-selling fragrances as Be Delicious, Black Cashmere, and Cashmere Mist.
In her desire to dress her daughter, Gabby, Donna Karan set apart a line of relatively lower-priced items, DKNY, in 1989. It covers DKNY Jeans, DKNY Men, DKNY Underwear, DKNY Kids, DKNY Active, City DKNY, and DKNY Juniors. Apparently, DKNY was the “pizza” to her “caviar.”
With Stephan Weiss, her late husband, Donna Karan founded the fashion label in 1984. The company went public in 1996. For $643 million, Donna Karan sold it and her license holder to LVMH, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in April 2001. She is still the label’s chief designer.
Born Donna Ivy Faske to Gabby, a haberdasher; and Helen, a showroom fashion model, in 1948 at Forest Hills in Queens, New York City, Donna Karan staged her first show in high school.
She studied at the Parsons School of Design until her second year. Years later, she received an honorary degree from the school. She eventually got a summer job at sportswear label Anne Klein. Donna Karan became associate designer of Anne Klein in 1971. After Klein’s death in 1974, Donna Karan was tasked to co-head the house. In 1982, she created Anne Klein II, a collection foreshadowing DKNY years later.
Donna Karan has three children by her marriage to Stephan Weiss, who died in 2001. She supports causes related to AIDS, the arts, education, and healthcare. In 1999, she formed the Karan Weiss Foundation.
Donna Karan is a seven-time Council of Fashion Designers of America award winner.
Additional information on Donna Karan:
Donna Karan keeps a blog on the Huffington Post.
Encarta encyclopedia entry about Donna Karan.
Answers.com has a profile of Donna Karan.
Video features footage from Donna Karan’s Fall 2008 show.
Time magazine did a profile of Donna Karan.