Donna Karan International has been going through lots of changes over the past few months, with the appointment of Public School’s Maxwell Osbourne and Dao-Yi Chow as DKNY’s creative directors, the hiring of Hector Muelas as chief image officer and losing longtime executive vice president of global public relations and communications Patti Cohen. But this news coming out of DKI is the most game-changing yet as Donna Karan has decided to step down as chief designer of her company.
Donna will still have a presence at DKI in an advisory capacity, but is stepping away to spend more time on her Urban Zen Foundation and Company. “I have arrived at a point in my life where I need to spend more time to pursue my Urban Zen commitment to its fullest potential and follow my vision of philanthropy and commerce with a focus on health care, education and preservation of cultures,” Karan said. “After considering the right time to take this step for several years, I feel confident that DKI has a bright future and a strong team in place.”
Donna Karan Collection will halt its show schedule and collections for now. It has not named a replacement for Ms. Karan, though word is DKC might merge with DKNY, but nothing is yet confirmed.
Obviously, it’s sad to see such an iconic label dissolve with the departure of its namesake designer. Hopefully Donna Karan Collection will be resurrected or perhaps live on in tandem with DKNY.
[via WWD]
