Donna Karan stepping down as chief designer for her company

Donna Karan’s Next Journey After much thoughtful discussion and in partnership with Donna Karan global and LVMH, our visionary founder, Donna Karan, has made a personal decision to step down from her day-to-day responsibilities as Chief Designer for Donna Karan global. She’ll shift her focus to Urban Zen, a standalone project she founded in 2007 that sells apparel, accessories, jewelry, home decor, and beauty products.

Adam Glassman, creative director of O The Oprah Magazine, interned at Karan’s company 30 years ago while he was in college.

MHLV said it has no plans to replace Karan, and her main collection will be suspended indefinitely, The New York Times reported. “It has been an honor to speak woman to woman about “Seven Easy Pieces” that forever changed the way women dress”, Karan told the trade magazine.

Although we’re relieved to hear that Karan will still be involved in her brand – she’ll remain an adviser under a long-term contract – she’ll certainly be missed on the runway.

She was referring to Urban Zen Company and Foundation, a philanthropy that works around the world on health care and education. Urban Zen features the kind of pieces that Karan and her pal Barbra Streisand might wear on chilly Malibu nights, or mornings on the way to yoga, including cashmere leggings and leather necklaces produced by local artisans. “We are committed to fully realizing the potential of the company while staying true to the spirit and value Donna has championed”. DKI went public in 1996 and then in 2001, LVMH acquired the label for $243 million for all outstanding shares and $400 million for Gabrielle Studio Inc., the licensor of the label’s trademarks.

Karan founded the company in 1985 with her now-deceased husband, Stephan Weiss.

Early on, Karan’s seven easy pieces provided a modern system for women with the goal of simplifying their wardrobes without sacrificing elegance or sensuality. With a younger, urban customer in mind, she added DKNY five years after starting the company. Under her direction, DKNY saw a major change with the departure of Jane Chung, the brand’s ex- executive vice president of design at DKNY.