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STYLE REPUBLIC MAGAZINE.COM: FASHION - FEBRUARY 2010 Oh, Donna Karan: We have so many questions... We sit down with designer Donna Karan just weeks before the unveiling of her upcoming Fall/Winter 2010 collections. From questions about, 'making it' in the design industry, to highlighting her current inspirations & top wardrobe must-haves - we wanted to know what drives Donna Karan the person, and Donna Karan the brand. Visit: dkny.com & donnakaran.com 
Q: So many designers are inspired by the world around them - travel, music, color, people... What would you say is the number one muse for your upcoming collection? I believe in looking back so you can look forward. Especially now, since Fall marks our 25th anniversary. So I started with the two things that have always inspired me most – New York and the movement and sculpture of woman’s body. Black is the main color, with wet and dry pavement textures and soft architectural shapes. It’s signature Donna Karan, urbanized and modernized with a whole new dimension for today. Q: Growing up, did you always have a passion for fashion, or were your career goals different from what you've achieved thus far? I was born into fashion, literally. My mother was a showroom model and my father was a custom tailor. Fashion was everywhere in our home. My first job was in a woman’s boutique called Sherri’s in Long Island, and I designed and staged my first fashion show while I was in high school. The only other aspiration I remember having was to sing like Barbra Streisand and dance like Martha Graham. Q: Who inspired your wardrobe when you were a teenager? Not that you've left your teens, of course... I was always a bit of a hippie. I liked to play with my clothes, my jeans, whatever, and personalize them in some way. I never went with the mainstream. Q: Runway shows - in a sense, are such a personal display of what and who a designer is (in this case especially, as your name is attached) What is it about the upcoming collection, the Donna Karan brand, or even about yourself, that you think people identify with (or will identify with) the most? I think women identify with me because I’m a woman. I know what it’s like to stand in front of my closet and feel like I have nothing to wear. I want to wear clothes that will make me look longer, leaner and leggier. I want something that looks sophisticated, feels luxurious, goes day into night and makes me feel confident. My clothes answer the desires we all have. For me, it’s about addressing the woman and her needs, not creating something beautiful that only a model can wear. Q: The design industry is beautiful, but tough and extremely competitive. There are thousands of girls who would kill to work in the industry you've become so successful in. If you could give them any piece of advice with regards to 'making it' in the world of fashion, what would it be? Get a job in retail. Honestly, there’s nothing you could do that will teach you more about fashion than to get in that dressing room and really get to know your customer. Talk to her. Understand her needs. When it comes to design, you have to have a vision and stick with it. Stand for something and be true to yourself. Improve on your own game, not someone else’s. The worst thing you can do is chase trends. Q: Style Republic Magazine is a huge fan of the infamous, "DKNY COZY". With various ways to tie the one garment, it's easily becoming the most efficient & affordable way to shop a dozen styles. So we have to ask... which way is your favorite? I love them all. For me, it’s a question of mood. What do I want to cover up? What am I wearing it with? Do I need it to go day into night? The answer will change the way I wear it. Q: When your show ends, the models are filing in backstage, and the industry is applauding your newly revealed masterpiece - just before you take a step out onto the runway and into the spotlight, what's going through your head? There’s a moment of relief, of course, and then I look for my daughter Gabby in the audience. But I’m never thinking I’m done. Creatively, I’m always onto the next thing. That’s why I end every press release with “To Be Continued.” Q: What are your top 5 must-haves for the upcoming fall season? It’s more a feeling than specific pieces. I’m feeling strongly about black and texture. Shape-wise, you need something with structure – a soft sculpted jacket, a rounded skirt, a lean, leggy pant. I’m also feeling for a sculpted dress that suspends and glides over the body. Q: What are the top 3 songs on your iPod playlist at the moment? It changes too often to limit it to three songs. I love all kinds of music – rock, jazz, African drums. For me, music is a mood thing – where I am and what I’m doing. MORE FEATURES ON STYLE REPUBLIC MAGAZINE.COM
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