The story of Donna Karan is one of perseverance and success. She was born Donna Ivy Faske in New York, in 1948. She grew up with her stepfather, who worked as a tailor, and her mother, a model. Karan started selling clothing on Central Avenue at age 14.

She graduated high school in 1966 and then attended Parsons School of Design. Her talent earned her a first job with Anne Klein as an assistant designer, a start she was able to build on, becoming Associate Designer by 1971.

When Anne Klein died in 1974, Takihyo Corporation of Japan bought the company and Karan, together with former classmate Louis Dell'Ollio, became head designers.

Karan left Anne Klein in 1984, together with her then-husband Stephan Weiss. She started her own business, with the express aim - "to design modern clothes for modern people". Her first women's clothing collection was shown in 1985.

The first innovation to garner wider attention was her 'Essentials' line. She offered seven pieces which could be mixed and matched, creating a co-ordinated yet versatile wardrobe. And unlike others, Karan said that she would only design clothes that she would wear herself.

In 1988 Karan had earned herself the nicknamed The Queen Of Seventh Avenue. Her next leap forward was a foray into less expensive clothes for younger women, called DKNY. The line made enough waves that Karan can be rightfully regarded as the first of her ilk to successfully establish a diffusion line. Two years on she added DKNY Jeans, a denim-inspired collection. DKNY for men came in 1992.

At the height of its popularity, in the 1990s, the Donna Karan range, for men and women included the top-of-the-line DKNY collection (exclusive) and its variant, the 'Donna Karan Signature' collection (slightly less excklusive), the DKNY lifestyle diffusion line, and the less expensive DKNY Jeans and and DKNY Active lines. A children's collection, beauty products, accessories and furniture were added in succession. Sales hit a phenomenal $510.1 million in 1995 from a merely respectable $96.6 million in 1991. More than half of sales were generated by the DKNY lines. Couture was good for 15%, and about 30% of the sales came from men’s clothing, accessories, cosmetics, designer sunglasses and other products. Nearly a third of the sales came from exports.

In 1997 Donna Karan quit as the company’s CEO, but she’s continued to act as chairwoman and designer in charge of the Donna Karan line. From 2002 on, the majority of the collection was designed by Peter Speliopoulos, formerly a Cerruti designer, while Karan contributed everything from subtleties to entire new creations. The DKNY line is now designed in its entirety by Jane Chung, who has been with Donna Karan since the Anne Klein days.

In November 2000, the fashion giant LVMH bought Gabrielle Studio, which owned the Donna Karan brand and was named after Karan's daughter, and Donna Karan International Inc. for about $400 million and $240 million, respectively.

In August 2008, Donna Karan re-launched her abandoned fragrance lines from the 1990s. These include DK Fuel for Men, Signature, Chaos, and Black Cashmere. They are available in the United States at Bergdorf Goodman, Manhattan and at Harrod's, Knightsbridge, London.