Donna Karan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donna Karan
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Donna Karan (DK) in 2020
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| Born |
Donna Ivy Faske
October 2, 1948 (age 76) New York City, U.S.
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| Alma mater | The New School |
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Label(s)
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Donna Karan |
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| Children | 2 |
Donna Karan (born Donna Ivy Faske), also known as DK, is a famous American fashion designer. She created the popular clothing brands Donna Karan New York and DKNY.
Contents
Early Life and School
Donna Karan was born in Queens, New York City. Her family was Jewish. Her mom, Helen, was a model and worked in fashion. Her dad, Gabriel, was a tailor who made and sold clothes. Sadly, he passed away when Donna was only three years old.
Donna and her older sister Gail grew up in Woodmere. Donna spent a lot of time in the art department at Hewlett High School. After graduating in 1966, she went to the Parsons School of Design. This school is famous for teaching fashion and art.
Designing Clothes
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After college, Donna Karan started working for the fashion designer Anne Klein. She quickly became a top designer for the Anne Klein team. She stayed there until 1984.
In the late 1960s, Donna began as an assistant designer for Anne Klein. By 1971, she was promoted to associate designer. She even took part in a famous fashion show called The Battle of Versailles Fashion Show in 1973. When Anne Klein passed away in 1974, Donna became the main designer for the company.
In 1984, Donna Karan decided to start her own company. She wanted to make "modern clothes for modern people." She worked with her husband, Stephan Weiss, to launch her own brand. Her first collection for women came out in 1985.
Donna Karan became very well known for her 'Essentials' clothing line. This line had seven simple pieces, like bodysuits, that could be mixed and matched. This made it easy to create many different outfits. Donna always said she would only design clothes that she would wear herself.
In 1988, Donna Karan launched a new, more affordable clothing line. It was called DKNY, which stands for Donna Karan New York. This line was made for younger women. Two years later, she created DKNY Jeans, which focused on denim clothes. In 1992, DKNY also started making clothes for men. That same year, she released her famous "cold shoulder" dress. This dress had long sleeves but cutouts at the shoulders.
Donna Karan stepped down as the CEO of her company in 1997. However, she continued to be the chairwoman and designer for the Donna Karan brand. After 2002, she designed less and less. In 2015, Donna Karan announced she was leaving her main company. She wanted to focus on her other brand, Urban Zen, which she started in 2007.
Awards and Recognition
Donna Karan has won many awards for her fashion designs:
- 1977: Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award
- 1982: Coty American Fashion Critics’ Award (with Louis Dell’Ollio for Anne Klein)
- 1984: Inducted into the Coty Hall Of Fame.
- 1986: Special CFDA award for her influence in "Head-to-Toe Dressing."
- 1992: CFDA Menswear Designer of the Year
- 1994: Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement
- 1985, 1990, 1996: CFDA Womenswear Designer of the Year
- 2004: CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2016: CFDA Founders Award
Personal Life
In 1976, Donna Faske married Mark Karan, and they had a daughter. They later divorced in 1978. In 1983, she married artist Stephan Weiss. Stephan later became a co-CEO of the Donna Karan company. He passed away in 2001.
Images for kids
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Sasha Pivovarova wearing DKNY by Donna Karan
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A look from the DKNY Spring 2012 collection
See also
In Spanish: Donna Karan para niños
