Contemporary clothing designer Donna Karan was born Donna Faske on October 2, 1948, in Forest Hills, New York. The daughter of a tailor and a model, Karan grew up with an eye for design. After graduating from Long Island’s Hewlett High School in 1966, Karan enrolled in Parsons School of Design, which she attended for two years before leaving to work for fashion designer, Anne Klein. Meanwhile, Karan married Mark Karan in the early 70s, and the couple welcomed the birth of daughter, Gabby, in 1974.
During the late 70s and early 80s, Karan worked her way up the corporate ladder to eventually become the head of the company’s design team; a position she held until 1984, when she launched her own line, Essentials. The Essentials line was initially made up of seven simple wardrobe pieces to be mixed and matched. Karan’s endeavor to start her own line was financially backed by the Japanese owners of Anne Klein, who invested a confident $3 million in the designer.
One year prior to launching her own line, Karan who had split from husband Mark, remarried sculptor Stephan Weiss, whom she had met on a blind date. Weiss immediately began to assist his new wife in her clothing line, and also served as the muse for Karan’s Signature men’s couture collection. Weiss went on to become the company’s vice-president, later overseeing the company’s cosmetics line. In 2001, Weiss lost a seven year battle with lung cancer.
In 1988, Karan launched another clothing line, DKNY. The addition proved to be both popular and profitable for Karan, whose sales increased to $510.1 million in 1995 from $96.6 in 1991. DKNY, an acronym for Donna Karan New York, is eponymous with the city which has inspired Karan’s designs, representing clothes that are sophisticated enough for the city’s social elite, yet comfortable enough to suit its frenzied pace. In addition to men’s and women’s clothing, the Karan brand also includes a children’s line, beauty products, accessories, men’s and women’s fragrances, and home furnishings.
In 1997, Karan stepped down as CEO of her company; although she has retained the title of chairwoman and designer in charge of the Donna Karan line. In 2001, LVMH acquired DKNY, which was by that time a publicly traded company. Today, most of the merchandise which bears the DKNY brand is licensed; including the DKNY Jeans and Active brands lines, which are marketed by Liz Claiborne; as well as the cosmetics, which are headed by Estée Lauder. In 1997, Karan inked licensing deals with Esprit, Phillips Van Heusen, Mallory & Church, Peerless Clothing, and Max Leather.
Karan has been recognized with awards from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) an unprecedented seven times during the span of her career, including the Lifetime Achievement Award to coincide with the twentieth anniversary of her company.
YUDDY
