“Everything I do is a matter of heart, body and soul,” said Donna Karan, chief designer of the international company that bears her name. “For me, designing is an expression of who I am as a woman, with all the complications, feelings and emotions.”
In fact, Karan credits her feminine instincts for the success of the company she founded in 1984 with her husband Stephen Weiss. Her company became a publicly traded enterprise in 1996. Five years later, her company was acquired by its present owner, the French luxury conglomerate LVMH, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton. “That I’m a woman makes me want to nurture others, fulfill needs and solve problems,” she explained. “At the same time, the artist within me strives for beauty, both sensually and visually. So design is a constant challenge to balance comfort with luxury, the practical within the desirable.”
How Karan meets that challenge can run from simplicity of a bodysuit (where it all began) to the artisanal glamour of a limited edition hand-painted devore dress. Whatever form the design takes, Karan will tell you it begins and ends with the body–its sensual expression, sense of security and freedom of movement.
A modern system of dressing, Karan’s concept is based on seven easy pieces, where a handful of interchangeable items work together to create an entire wardrobe that goes from day to evening, weekday to weekend, season to season. “I’m designing for an international man and woman. A creative person who never knows where a day is going to take them,” commented Karan. “That’s why New York is on the label. It sets the pace, the attitude.”
Speaking in the multicultural language of fashion, Karan is inspired by the life and innate style of the artist. Quintessential hallmarks include black cashmere, leather, stretch and molded fabrics that are often developed by Karan. Silhouettes wrap and sculpt the body. For Karan, it’s never been just about the clothes, but about lifestyles. She sees entire pictures from head to toe, from function to aesthetic. Handbags and shoes are designed right alongside of her clothes. Thinking about how to dress the leg along with the dress inspired Donna Karan Hosiery.
Karan’s quest for the perfect jeans, as well as her desire to dress her daughter, resulted in the 1989 birth of DKNY. Fast fashion with an urban mindset, DKNY is what Karan calls “the pizza to the collection’s caviar.” DKNY grew so popular and diverse that other brands and labels spun from it, including DKNY Jeans, DKNY Active, DKNY Underwear, DKNY Jeans Juniors and DKNY Kids. Like Collections, DKNY has an accessories and shoe collection to underscore its New York City street-smart look.
Determined to seduce all of her senses, Karan took on the world of beauty in 1992 under the business and creative leadership of her husband, who designed the bottles and jars for her signature fragrances and their ancillary products. Karan’s Urban Zen Initiative, founded in 2007, is the culmination of her philanthropic efforts. “I have founded the Urban Zen Initiative to create a working structure for advancing wellness, preserving culture and empowering children”, she explains. “These are the causes that mean the world to me.”
