Image: WWD
For any of you that have read many of my blogs over the years, it is quite apparent that I have remained a huge Donna Karan fan and anything that goes on that is even somewhat connected to her is NEWS to me! So when I read in Women’s Wear Daily, NYTimes, NY Magazine and other pubs that DKNY had been sold, I was at first read, concerned as this appeared to be another saga in the Donna Karan brand, whose namesake designer retired from day-to-day design duties last year. However, after researching I have a very positive feeling after reading comments from Morris Golfand, Chairman and CEO of G-III, new owners that recently purchased the admittedly under-perfuming brand from LVMH. He referred to the purchase as a “$1 billion trophy!” I am hopeful that this group that owns such brands as G.H. Bass and Andrew Marc and licensing agreements with the likes of Calvin Klein, Karl Lagerfeld and Tommy Hilfiger will take this opportunity to grow this brand as it has said. Since the purchase includes all of Donna Karan International, they have discussed bringing that collection back to limited stores and growing the DKNY segments such as shoes, handbags and fragrance as well as apparel which has been under the design guidance of Maxwell Osbourne and Dao-y Chow for the last year. For all concerned, I wish them well and I will be following what I hope will be the revitalization of this iconic brand!
The brand lost its original point of view, which was business basics women could wear to work, so it ran its customer base away. So who ARE they appealing to now? I would love to see them come back to exquisite work wear for busy women