Donna Karan Biography

Donna Faske, who would later become fashion mogul Donna Karan, was born in 1948 in Queens, New York. Indeed, her upbringing was tailored for a career as a budding fashion designer: her mother was a showroom model and her step-father was a practicing suit maker.

Such influences and auspicious connections were not wasted on the young Karan, and she was admitted to the prestigious Parson’s School of Design in 1968. While attending the design school, Karan managed to get a summer job working for designer Anne Klein. Her work was so impressive that, within two years, she was promoted to associate designer. By the tender age of 14 she was already selling clothes on Cedarhurst in New York.

A further boost to her career came shortly afterwards as she was made head designer at the age of 26. She remained at the helm of this New York fashion house until 1985, when she decided to strike out on her own, and ‘Donna Karan New York’ was founded. Karan went from strength to strength; her debut line, which she developed during her first six months of motherhood, was so impressive that the Council of Fashion named her designer of the year.

In 1988, she made the decision to branch out and create DKNY, a less expensive brand, which was aimed at a younger market. Such was the success of her latest line, Karan followed it with the launch of DKNY Jeans in 1990 and two years after that she launched DKNY for men. The designer had initially dipped a toe into the male fashion market in 1991, when she launched her Signature line for men.

Many more consumers and critics were won over in the years to come by Karan’s designs. These tend to be conceived with real people, not models, in mind, and she prides herself on making durable, wearable clothing, inspired by the bustling and hectic lifestyle of New York. Many noticed in her a determination and professionalism, but also deep stubbornness, perhaps driven by the fact that she is a true New Yorker at heart. Karan became more widely known following the launch of her successful Essentials line, which consisted of several stylish but easy-to-wear garments that could easily be mixed and matched.

In 1988, she launched the DKNY line, which was aimed at younger women and would go on to be hugely successful over the next decade. Karan developed a DKNY line for men, as well as a collection of accessories, jewellery and perfume. Sales of her products increased more than five-fold between 1991 and 1995.

Donna Karan opened her first signature store on London's Bond Street in 1996, before opening her flagship outlet in New York two years later.

The designer hit the headlines in 2008 when animal rights group PETA launched a campaign against her for using fur in her fashion lines. Following a number of protests, Karan announced in 2009 that her autumn collection would not feature fur. However, she returned to using it the following year, attracting further protests.

Not one to miss an opportunity to advertise the Donna Karan brand, the designer appeared at the 2011 Vanity Fair Oscar Party wearing one of her own designs. Stylebistro.com reported that she “rocked the flattering one-shoulder design with sleek, shiny shoulder-length waves, smoky eyes and a deep tan”.

Her success in the fashion world is evident: her labels are major fashion powerhouses and she is respected as one of the world’s foremost designers. However, she recently received negative press as animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals accused her of designing clothes using fur. The group dubbed the designer the ‘Bunny Butcher’ and urged people to “boycott the designer’s collections until she stops using fur”.