DKNY History

Born to a tailor father and model mother in Long Island New York, the fashion industry was never far away from Donna Karan. In 1966, when Karan graduated from high school, she was quick to show her interest in the fashion field by studying at Parsons School of Design.

Upon completing her design degree, Karan left school and began work with Anna Klein, a popular American sportswear designer. After the death of Klein in 1974, Karan became head of the design team, a position that she would remain in for the next ten years.

Working with Klein over this time encouraged Karan to look at launching her own label and she did in 1985. Karan’s first range was full of modern yet timeless pieces and very fashion-forward and bold designs, she launched this range to the market the same year. Her “essentials” line proved to be very popular, providing purchases with the opportunity to mix and match the pieces as necessary to create a variety of outfits.

Looking to appeal to a younger crowd, Karan created the Donna Karan New York (DKNY) label in 1988. Two years later she introduced DKNY Jeans, with her menswear line to follow shortly after in 1992. All were received with great success.

Karan hit a rocky road in 2008 when she became the subject of several protests by animal protection agency PETA. Karan was criticised by PETA for her use of animal fur in her clothing range. Karan’s public appearances at the Boston Fashion Show and a guest speaker appearance at a Boston Conference both became targets of the animal rights group.

In 1997 Karan launched her first store in London, this was followed quickly by a second flagship store in Manhattan, New York. Around 70 DKNY stores now exist globally, 20 of which are located in China. Canada and Dubai also have several stores. Online shopping has also proved popular to the company, since 2005 a wide variety of the DKNY range has been available for online purchase.

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