After three years as associate designer at Anne Klein,  Donna Karan was named successor, along with Louis Dell’Olio, following Klein’s death in 1974. Ten years later, Karan went out on her own. Fall 1985 saw the first Donna Karan New York collection; in 1992, she introduced DKNY. The CFDA has saluted Karan six times and Donna Karan International has diversified into myriad divisions addressing every age and lifestyle with womenswear, menswear, beauty and home furnishings.

A member of CFDA’s Board of Directors, Karan conceived and spearheaded its Seventh on Sale benefits for AIDS. Annually, Karan co-chairs the New York “Kids for Kids” events for Pediatric AIDS Foundation and “Super Saturday,” to benefit the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. In 2007, Karan founded the Urban Zen Foundation, which has three initiatives: culture preservation, integrative wellness and education. She is also passionately involved in developing Haiti.

Donna Karan has been a CFDA member since 1974.