Fashion Reverie Juxtaposition: The New DKNY Versus the Former

Donna Karan is no longer at the helm of DKNY. A new team is in town. And though Donna Karan was in the audience of DKNY’s spring 2016 and she is now transitioning into her new role as creative consultant, if DKNY’s spring 2016 collection is any indication of the new direction of the brand, will Donna Karan’s signature aesthetic be at core of the brand?

Only time will tell. However, Fashion Reverie felt that it would be interesting to juxtapose DKNY’s spring 2016 collection—with Public School’s creative of Maxwell Osborne and Dao Yi Chow as the new creative force behind the brand—against DKNY’s spring 2015—with Donna Karan still at the helm.

Still, it’s important to establish the DKNY signature aesthetic. DKNY was established in 1989 as a younger, more affordable diffusion line to run aside the already existing Donna Karan New York label. The company became a publicly traded venture in 1996, and in 2001 DKNY was purchased by French corporation Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy (LVMH).

The design aesthetics of the brand are clothes that transition seamlessly from day to night for the younger consumer who is still finding herself and her sense of style. That said; DKNY’s DNA is noticeably more eclectic and fashion forward than Donna Karan New York, and it appeals to the younger female consumer who needs items in her wardrobe that she can mix and match throughout the season.

DKNY spring 2015 was inspired by the multi-cultural nature of New York City. Themed ‘New York Nation,’ the spring 2015 collection was a mix of rugby stripes and kaleidoscopic prints that embrace tribal-inspired graphics. This inclusive, street cred collection may not have had many looks that could transition easily from day to night; however, this collection was on brand for youthful, fashion-forward exuberance.

As the recently anointed creative directors of DKNY, Dao Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne bring a design aesthetic that’s heavily grounded in street wear with a nod toward the avant-garde. Their color palette is mostly in neutrals with black being their central color.  And though the looks in the collection, to some extent, fit DKNY’s DNA of garments that can work both at work and a night out, the look of the 2016 spring collection was removed from the brand’s signature design aesthetic.

With Osborne and Chow now being the de facto design team behind DKNY for spring 2016 the brand’s color palette didn’t extend much beyond black, white, and grey. Will Chow and Osborne give more retail viability that places the brand as the go-to brand it once was in the 90s? We will have to wait and see. And though some fashion pundits contend the Osborne and Chow are an odd choice to replace Karan, the creative mien might just work for DKNY. Stay tuned!!

—Staff