Donna Karan New York

“I was never in it for the glamour. This is not a glamorous profession. It’s an obsession. You can’t help it.”

Donna Karan

In 1984 Tahikyo offered Karan three million dollars to start her own top of the line business and in 1985 Donna Karan New York was born.

The young designer supported by her business partners, Stephan Weiss, her husband, Tomio Taki and Frank Mori, couldn’t wait to start working again. The future empire was founded at Donna’s home, right there, in her front bedroom, with pin holes all over the walls. Fortunately, the new brand modestly consisted of Donna, Stephan, Alida Miller, their very first employee and soon, Patti Cohen who first met Donna during her Anne Klein days. Working from home had quite a few advantages. First and foremost, it gave Donna an opportunity to spend as much time with Gabby as she possibly could. And then, of course, it was where Donna came up with idea of her brand name.

One day Donna was sitting in a kitchen staring at a shoe box. Maud Frizon – Paris – New York, she read on the label and suddenly knew exactly what her own brand would be called. Donna Karan New York described the place Donna loved and the urban, independent woman she designed her clothes for.

The clothes were quite personal and special, too. Not only they were created for “friends” – women who needed beautiful, stylish and comfortable pieces they could wear day to night. With her love for cashmere and luxurious fabrics that not only “talked”, but were wonderful to touch and wear, Donna Karan came up with idea of seven easy pieces termed “essentials”. The bodysuit (Donna’s invention!), blouse, wrap skirt, blazer, longer jacket, dress and a pair of leggings were designed to be mixed and matched at the blink of an eye and allowed a woman to look effortlessly stylish 24/7. 

“Accent the positive, delete the negative,” became her motto in both her design and her career.

Karan was also the one who came up with the boutique idea – instead of having a huge department store big enough to be lost in, she wanted to create small spaces where customers would have a trained assistant showing them how to combine certain things in the best possible way. At first it wasn’t easy to convince the store owners, but they soon changed their mind.

On 3 May 1985 the first Donna Karan New York collection was unveiled and Donna was soon named “the hottest designer on the Seventh avenue” by Women’s Wear Daily.

In 1988, after Gabby mentioned that her mother’s designs didn’t really fit her, Donna created DKNY, a less-expensive diffusion line aimed to the younger audience. For her it was a big risk and double responsibility and time spent in the office, but as soon as DKNY collection hit the stores, it was sold within days. Her instincts and talent paid off again.

In 1990 Donna Karan was named Women’s Designer of the Year by CFDA. By then her company grew dramatically turning into a structured business rather than a close family affair. The business now employed 350 people and earned over $150 million annually. No longer it included Donna Karan New York and DKNY, but Donna’s latest DKNY Jeans, as well as licensed collections of eyewear, jewellery, shoes, hosiery, furs, and sewing patterns! 

She’s never stopped… …Creating. Living. Dreaming. Loving. Inspiring. Connecting. A truly remarkable woman, an talented designer and an icon who has always believed in living today and never saying “the end”. Her press releases always have “to be continued” written at the bottom and her collections, just like her incredible life, keep unfolding and merging with the past and the present creating a beautiful future.

“You have to understand why something mean something to you. {Designing} is my water; it’s my breath; it’s my air; it’s my essence. Fashion is about touch, and feel, and emotion. And it should heighten your senses at every level.”

Donna Karan

Photo source: Interview magazine, New York Times via Donna Karan (Fashion Memoir), Harper’s Bazaar USA May 2013, Donna Karan New York Spring/Summer 2013 campaign