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Donna Karan Out as Chief Designer of Her Company, Will Remain on as Advisor

Donna Karan Out as Chief Designer of Her Company, Will Remain on as Advisor
(Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images, file)

By    |   Wednesday, 01 July 2015 11:40 AM EDT

Donna Karan announced in a Facebook statement on Tuesday that she is stepping down as the chief designer of the company named after her so that she can spend more time with her foundation, the Urban Zen Company.

In the statement that appeared on both Facebook and Instagram, Karan maintained that she will remain with the company in an advisory role while she turns her attention to her foundation, which she launched in 2007.

The New York Times wrote that Karan's Urban Zen line focuses on wellness and artisanal goods.

"After much thoughtful discussion and in partnership with Donna Karan International 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 International," the statement on Facebook read.

"Over the past three decades, Donna Karan has inspired women around the world to embrace their power and sensuality. When she started her collection in 1985 she set out to simply make clothes for her and her friends . . . Her philosophy of a sophisticated system of dressing, 'her seven easy pieces' revolutionized the working woman's wardrobe."

The Times reported that LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the French conglomerate that purchased Karan's fashion house in 2001, stated that it has not made plans to replace Karan and that the main line would be suspended.

LVMH stated it would reorganize its team and "substantially increase its focus on the DKNY brand," noted The Times.

The Wall Street Journal wrote that Karan first opened her fashion house with her late husband, Stephen Weiss, and attracted the attention of celebrities such as Demi Moore and other executive women. Her DKNY fashions, which first appeared in 1989, sought to catch the eyes of younger customers.

Karan took her company public in 1996, but the fashions began to lose appeal, The Journal noted. Although LVMH purchased the Karan house as gamble on the ready-to-wear apparel, it fretted that DKNY's presence in discount stores like TJ Maxx made it difficult to get the attention of luxury retailers like Neiman Marcus.

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TheWire
Donna Karan announced in a Facebook statement on Tuesday that she is stepping down as the chief designer of the company named after her so that she can spend more time with her foundation, the Urban Zen Company.
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Wednesday, 01 July 2015 11:40 AM
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