Donna Karan began her career as an assistant designer with Anne Klein in the late 1960s, where she was promoted to associate designer in 1971. As When Klein herself died in 1974, Karan, together with her former classmate and friend Louis Dell'Olio, became head designer of the house. In 1984, Karan left Anne Klein 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 centered around the bodysuit which could all be mixed and matched, and created a fully integrated wardrobe with her First Collection in 1985. She, practically popularized the capsule wardrobe, as we know it today.
In 1989, Karan, also nicknamed The Queen Of Seventh Avenue, extended her women's 'Donna Karan New York' line by creating a less expensive clothing line for younger women, called DKNY. Later, DKNY became one of the most successful sub-brands in the fashion world.
The Donna Karan Beauty collection, which specializes in fragrances, was launched in 1992 and then re-launched in August 2008.
The fragrances, as the DKNY brand itself, are:
MODERN. CONFIDENT. ICONIC. NEW YORK.
