How Was The Donna Karan Brand Created?

Young Donna was hired by Anne Klein and eventually won the highest position.

Donna Karan's personal memoirs to see how her brand name was created.

In 1971, when I became the principal assistant of Anne Klein, the first thing I learned was that she was my boss.

Indeed, she has investors, husbands and managers, but Anne is more like an entrepreneur than a designer.

She controls all aspects of her company -- where the clothes are sold, and how they are displayed at which store, everyone needs to report to her.

I admire her ability and I like her pursuit of details.

Nothing is too small to discuss. She cares about the folds and buttons from clothing to the coffee cups we use in showroom.

Anne likes to work at night. Usually I and she are in the office, and a fitting (dummy) model.

I would give her needle quietly, and she would put these pins in different places, and this process would last for hours.

Influenced by Anne, I have become increasingly demanding on fitting out.

For me, it's as grave as a sculpture. It's a three-dimensional creation of the body.

Anne emphasizes the outline of clothing, and I have more passion for fabrics.

When she has the inspiration, she often says, "God has given you a pair of eyes, use them!" in many ways, she has

Very similar - this is another American fashion designer.

They can not be divested from the clothing design alone. They are talked about. The costumes are beautiful, but only when you are eager to wear them in daily life.

"Donna, I plan to travel for a while." at the end of spring 1972, Anne said to me, "you can take a good vacation, too."

After Anne left, I felt very free. My mind was full of design ideas.

I used my favorite black, white, red and camel colors in my own series and put a lot of embroidery and leather into it.

And this series also foreshadows my future.

In fact, just in the summer, Anne knew that he had breast cancer.

And I found myself pregnant in almost the same time.

I feel extremely happy, but I also need to be prepared to be a mother, for example, I need more maternity leave.

Anne bad health, I can only spend more time than usual work at work, often in the middle of the night or even later to go home.

When I was in the hospital in Long Island, Anne was in Mount Sinai hospital in Manhattan, and no one was really working, which led to our early autumn series at risk.

But we also talked to each other in the hospital to discuss the number of buttons needed for double rows of navy blue cashmere coats.

Soon, our investor Gunther Oppenheim called my hospital: "Donna, we need you to come back to work."

"Don't you want to know if I was born a boy or a girl?" I said, "it's a girl."

I asked my doctor that he did not recommend that I go back to work so soon.

When I told Gunther about this, he said, "well, then we come to find you."

Within a week, all the employees arrived at my new home in Long Island, my husband and I, Mark.

I put out my bagels and smoked salmon. I thought they would bring flowers and stews. As a result, what I saw was a truck with a Longmen rack full of clothes. This is work.

We clean our restaurant and turn it into a design studio.

Our sales director, Betty Hanson, walked in and whispered, "yes, we understand."

Her face sank.

After hanging up the phone, she turned to us and said, "Anne has passed away."

I could not accept it at once, and began to tremble.

How can it be? Anne is only 51 years old. I always thought she would get better, at least I always thought so.

Betty approached me and knelt at my side: "Donna, listen, it's sad, but you need to cheer up. You have to finish this series. All the stores are waiting for this shipment.

That's what Anne wants you to accomplish. "

I suddenly realized that everyone knew that Anne was running out of time, but no one came to tell me.

Before I could say goodbye to her, I was only 25 years old. I just had a baby, and my teacher, Anne, was gone.

Then the days were 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.

I can not describe in detail the crazy and chaotic days.

I originally dreamed that staying at home and being a good mother had ceased to exist. I had to finish the early autumn series as soon as possible, and then began to prepare for the autumn and winter series, one of the most important series of the year, that would be a show in 5 month.

I didn't use Anne in designing this series, and I knew I had to take my brand in this series.

My design is more flexible, more dynamic and cool, and I want to be young and sexy.

On the day of the show, anxiety and insecurity came to me.

Why do I take over Anne? Everyone laughs at me! In the backstage of the show, I protect every model on the T platform. I hold my breath and feel extremely vulnerable.

Until the last model was sent out, I felt a sense of insecurity.

Next, there was a brief silence. Soon, I heard more and more applause in the music. I walked out of the background to come to the curtain, and others handed me a bunch of white roses. I saw many people standing up.

I shivered and tried to control myself not to fall.

Birth, death, death, birth.

I soon married my second husband, sculptor Stephan Weiss, which was in 1983.

In the same year, I also received an invitation to renew Anne Klein.

I think this is my chance. I need to redefine my future. I want to create a small series for myself and my friends creatively. I am really tired of designing clothes for others.

I want to explore what clothes I really want to wear. I miss the tights and scarves I wore in high school, and the comfortable and simple clothes I wore in endless years.

But I also don't want to give up the job that gives me a sense of security. Can't I have any room to design my personal series? I told my boss about this idea.

The answer is a very clear negation.

They want me to put all their energy into Anne Klein. They are protecting the brand. I can understand it.

But I hate listening to the word "NO".

My lawyer and Charles Ballon, Anne's private lawyer, told me, "Donna, stay or leave, they need you to make decisions."

A few months later, when I was preparing for 1985

During the show, the cell phone rang.

"Mr. Dnna, Mr. Taki and Mr. Mori hope to see you."

This is not a request, but a command -- "Donna, you are fired."

Mr. Taki looked at me and said.

"What did you say?" I think I was mistaken.

"We've been waiting too long," Mr. Mori added. "We have made a decision for you.

We are not going to renew our contract with you. Obviously, your heart is no longer here.

Before I could digest all this, he continued, "we believe in you. That's why we want to support you to be your own company."

That's why they finally decide.

I was shocked, and I went back to my design office in a daze.

I called Stephan to pick me up, then quickly finished finishing my things and went straight to the elevator to leave.

"Donna, I don't think this is a bad thing."

Stephan said to me at dinner, "this is your dream."

I like it

Fearless, but I was really scared.

I know nothing about running a company.

"Hey, you have a business mind. It's all in your head."

Stephan continued, "and you and me, I will be your partner. I will protect you. You just need to design well."

"Stephan, I love you, but I know you are not a businessman at all," I said. "You are an artist. You need to spend more time in the studio."

"Entrepreneurship is also an innovation, Donna.

This will be part of my artistic career. "

He assured me, "we will do that. I am sure of that."

"What if it fails?" I whispered.

"Then we will fail."

He said, with a smile in his eyes, "don't be afraid of failure. This is the first step to success."

At that moment, at our table, Donna Karan was born.

In July of this year, Donna Karen (Donna Karan) announced the news on Instagram, announcing that she left the brand Donna Karan collection and DKNY, which she co founded with her husband.