Donna Karan

Fashion Designer

American fashion designer Donna Karan was educated at New York's Parsons school before finding a position at Anne Klein. Following Klein's death in 1974, Karan was named chief designer and began to form her approach to designing clothes for the successful working woman.

Launching her own label in 1984 around a 'seven easy pieces' design ethos that remains core to the brand today, Karan has since gone on to grow one of the most successful businesses in American fashion. Introducing denim line DKNY in 1989, and menswear and beauty in 1992, alongside the mainline Donna Karan collection, her company now has over 100 stores around the world. In 2000, Donna Karan International was acquired by French business group LVMH.

In 2015, Karan announced she was stepping down from the company, and dedicating more time to Urban Zen, the foundation she started following her husband Stephen Weiss's death from cancer in 2001.

American fashion designer Donna Karan was educated at New York's Parsons school before finding a position at Anne Klein. Following Klein's death in 1974, Karan was named chief designer and began to form her approach to designing clothes for the successful working woman.

Launching her own label in 1984 around a 'seven easy pieces' design ethos that remains core to the brand today, Karan has since gone on to grow one of the most successful businesses in American fashion. Introducing denim line DKNY in 1989, and menswear and beauty in 1992, alongside the mainline Donna Karan collection, her company now has over 100 stores around the world. In 2000, Donna Karan International was acquired by French business group LVMH.

In 2015, Karan announced she was stepping down from the company, and dedicating more time to Urban Zen, the foundation she started following her husband Stephen Weiss's death from cancer in 2001.

Back to top