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:(born October 2, 1948) is an American Jewish fashion

designer and the creator of the Donna Karan New York

(DKNY)clothing labels. Karan was born Donna Ivy Faske in Forest
Hills, Queens, USA. She grew up in Woodmere, Long Island, New
York, with her stepfather, a tailor, and her mother, a model. Karan
started selling clothing on Cedarhurst, New York's Central Avenue at
age 14.

As a youngster, Karan became obsessed with fashion and attended

Parson¶s School of Design. She left the school without graduating to
take an assistant¶s job at Anne Klein, however, and in 1987 she
received an honorary fashion degree from the school. In addition to
overseeing designs for many years, she also handled the financial
duties of her growing business.
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After leaving college, Karan worked for Anne Klein, eventually
becoming head of the Anne Klein design-team, where she remained
until 1985, when she launched her eponymous Donna Karan label.

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Karan began her career as an assistant designer with Anne Klein in
the late 1960s, where she was eventually promoted to associate
designer in 1971. When Anne Klein herself died in 1974, Takihyo
Corporation of Japan became the new owner and Karan, together with
her former classmate and friend Louis Dell'Ollio, became head
designer of the house. In 1984, Karan left Anne Klein and, together
with her then husband Stephan Weiss and Takihyo Corporation,
started her own business "to design modern clothes for modern
people". She showed her first women's clothing collection in 1985.

Karan became well-known for her 'Essentials' line, initially offering

seven easy pieces which could all be mixed and matched, and
created a fully integrated wardrobe. Karan always insisted that she
would only design clothes, like jersey dresses and opaque Lycra
tights, that she would also wear herself. She was once described in
the early 1990s by the New York Times as ³[Ed Koch] in a stretchy
black dress´.

In 1988 Karan, nicknamed [








by the
time, extended her women's 'Donna Karan New York' line by a less
expensive one for younger women, called DKNY. The line was such a
hit that Karan can be regarded as the first designer to successfully
establish a diffusion line. Two years later she created DKNY Jeans, a
denim-inspired collection. DKNY for men was launched in 1992, one
year after the 'Signature' line for men had been presented. In its
heyday in the 1990s, the Donna Karan portfolio, for men and women,
consisted of the top-of-the-line DKNY collection (black label, couture
collection, partly hand-made, limited distribution) and its variation, the
'Donna Karan Signature' collection (golden label, designer sportswear,
wider distribution), the DKNY lifestyle diffusion line, and the lower-
priced DKNY Jeans (and DKNY Active) lines. [4] The portfolio was later
complemented by a children's collection, beauty products, accessories
and furniture. Sales rose up to 510.1 million in 1995 from $96.6 in
1991. More than half of the sales were attributed to the DKNY lines,
couture contributed 15% and about 30% of the sales were generated
by men¶s clothing, accessories, cosmetics and other products. Almost
a third of the sales were made in exports.

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In 1997 Donna Karan quit as CEO of the company, but continues to

act as chairwoman and designer in charge of the Donna Karan line.
From 2002 on, most of the collection was designed by Peter
Speliopoulos, a former Cerruti designer, with Karan contributing little
subtleties or even entire new creations. [5] The DKNY line is entirely
designed by Jane Chung, who has been with Donna Karan since
Karan's days with Anne Klein.

In November 2000, the LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton) fashion

giant completed the acquisition of both Gabrielle Studio, a company
that owned the Donna Karan brand and was named after Karan's
daughter, and Donna Karan International Inc. for about $400 million
and $240 million, respectively. LVMH subsequently re-arranged the
Donna Karan portfolio: 'Donna Karan New York' for men was
discontinued, as well as the 'Signature' lines for men and women.

In August 2008, Donna Karan relaunched her discontinued fragrance

lines from the 1990s. These include DK Fuel for Men, Signature,
Chaos, and Black Cashmere. They are available exclusively in the
United States at Bergdorf Goodman, Manhattan and at Harrod's,
Knightsbridge, London.
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The first Donna Karan Signature store was opened in London in 1996
are 27 New Bond Street.. The Launch party was widely regarded as
one of the most lavish ever seen and was reported to have cost over
£500m. The first DKNY flagship store opened in 1999 at Madison
Avenue and 60th in New York. According to the company's web site
there are Donna Karan stores in New York, Manhasset, Boston, Costa
Mesa, London, Singapore, Tokyo, Fukuoka, Las Vegas and Dubai.
The Donna Karan store in Berlin was closed in December 2001. The
DKNY label has its own stores, located predominantly in retail
shopping malls. Apart from DKNY stores in New York, Costa Mesa,
Short Hills, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, there are international
outlets in London, Antwerp, Tokyo, India, Hong Kong, Dubai, Tel Aviv
and Montreal, as well as Cancún, Barcelona, Ankara, Manchester,
Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Beirut, and Athens among others. Since
October 2006, Mark Weber is CEO of Donna Karan International.

Since 2005, Karan has offered online shopping of its DKNY and
associated lines at the label's web site. Products range from DKNY
and DKNY Jeans womenswear, accessories, underwear, shoes, baby
clothing, the PURE collection to DKNY menswear. The latter was fully
available until 2007, after which only the DKNY Jeans label,
underwear, eyewear, shoes and watches have been offered online for
men. In 2009 select DKNY items for men were for sale online again.

The company maintains design studios, showrooms and offices at 550

Seventh Avenue (Manhattan) (headquarters) and 240 W. 40th St. in
New York City.
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ï Donna Karan (women, 1992; in limited distribution, including
Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK) in August 2008)
ï Cashmere Mist (women, 1994)
ï DK Men Fuel (men, 1994; discontinued²relaunched exclusively
at Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK) in August 2008)
ï DK Men Unleaded (men, 1995; discontinued)
ï Chaos (women, 1996; discontinued²relaunched exclusively at
Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK) in August 2008)
ï DKNY Women (women, 1999; no longer sold in North America,
but still sold in Europe and Asia)
ï DKNY Men (men, 2000; no longer sold in North America, but still
sold in Europe and Asia)
ï Black Cashmere (women, 2002; currently in limited
distribution²Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK))
ï DKNY Energy Women (women, 2002; sold outside North
America only)
ï DKNY Energy Men (men, (2002; sold outside North America
only)
ï Pure Cashmere (women, 2004; limited edition)
ï DKNY Be Delicious Women (women, 2004)
ï DKNY Be Delicious Men (men, 2004)
ï DKNY Red Delicious Women (women, 2006; limited edition)
ï DKNY Red Delicious Men (men, 2006; limited edition)
ï Donna Karan Gold (women, 2006)
ï DKNY Delicious Night man (man 2010)
ï DKNY Delicious Night Women (women, 2007)
ï DK Lavender Essence (women, 2005²in limited distribution,
including Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK))
ï DK Wenge Essence (women, 2005²in limited distribution,
including Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK))
ï DK Labdanum Essence (women, 2005²in limited distribution,
including Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK))
ï DK Jasmine (women, 2005²in limited distribution, including
Bergdorf Goodman (US) and Harrods (UK)


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Karan married Long Island retailer Mark Karan in 1974, and together
they have one child, Gabrielle. The couple divorced in 1978, but have
remained good friends. In 1983, Karan married sculptor Stephan
Weiss. They maintain homes in Manhattan and on Long Island, New
York. Weiss died of lung cancer in 2001.

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Karan is the founder of many charities including, most recently, the
Urban Zen initiative. On March 14 and 15 2008, Karan organized a
large sale of her personal belongings and vintage company samples
at her late husband's studio to benefit the cause. In October 2008, a
foundation run by Karan donated $850,000 to New York's Beth Israel
Medical Center. The grant will be used for testing whether yoga,
meditation and aromatherapy can enhance the traditional cancer
treatments of chemotherapy and radiation. [



Ä  

 
Karan has left her mark as a businesswoman, marketer and designer
in the fashion industry. With annual sales in the hundreds of millions,
the Donna Karan Company is one of the world¶s premier fashion
retailers. By presenting interchangeable designs, she has appealed to
the casual, work, and designer markets. She has stated that if one has
the fundamentals underneath²bodysuits, unitards, bodywrap styles
and stretch fabrics²these basics can be put together in endless
ways. In addition, many see her clothes as neither specifically day nor
night, summer nor winter, which adds to consumer appeal. Her launch
of DKNY, the casual line of lower-cost clothes, brought her designer
name and styles to working women looking for affordable but fashion-
conscious clothing. In the early 1990s, she also incorporated urban
trends and put together the Essentials Collection that sold well and
prompted a similar men¶s line. Her Woman to Woman marketing
campaign won acclaim for appealing to stylish, elegant working
women.

Karan is a well-known celebrity with many fans in the entertainment

and political worlds. President Bill Clinton often wears her suits, as
does singer/actress Barbara Streisand and other Hollywood stars.
Karan has offered couture lines with women¶s dresses at $2,000 and
men¶s suits at $2,500. And, for those inclined to spend more, there is
the Donna Karan Collection²a limited edition signature label. Items
include luxurious detailing and hand-painted or hand-dyed fabrics,
beginning at $6,00






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È Karan won the Coty American Fashion Critics¶ Award in 1977 and
once again in 1982 (together with Louis Dell¶Ollio for Anne Klein).
È She was inducted into the Coty Hall Of Fame in 1984.
È The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) named her
Menswear Designer of the Year 1992 and Womenswear Designer
of the Year 1990 and 1996. She was a nominee for the latter again
in 2003 and was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award
by the CFDA in 2004. She won special CFDA awards in 1985,
1986 and 1987.
È She was also honored by Fashion Group International at its Night
of Stars gala.