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By Matthew W. Evans
NEW YORK - The award is presented
annually to an individual who has brought "extraordinary ingenuity,
dedication and inner resources to bear not only on his [or] her
company's success, but to the fragrance industry as a whole," according
to the foundation. "I'm particularly honored to accept this award
on behalf of the amazing collaboration I had with my husband, Stephan
[Weiss], who founded our beauty company," Karan said in a statement.
"To us, beauty was more than a fragrance. It was our passion that
went on to touch so many lives." Karan's namesake fashion firm,
Donna Karan International, got into the beauty business 15 years
ago.
The products that resulted were often innovative, offbeat and eye-catching.
Weiss, Karan's late husband, was an artist and sculptor. He held
the creative and business reigns of Donna Karan Beauty Co., the
in-house beauty operation, and he designed the bottles for Karan's
fragrances. Even after his death in 2001, Weiss' artwork served
as inspiration for bottle designs for Karan's fragrance collections.
Donna Karan will be presented with the Fragrance Foundation's Hall
of Fame award when the organization holds its FiFi celebration here
on May 31.
Five years after entering the beauty business, Donna Karan International
opted to license its beauty trademark, under pressure from shareholders.
In 1997, the firm signed a global licensing agreement with the Estée
Lauder Cos. At the time, Karan was marketing her signature Donna
Karan New York scent, a fall 1992 entry, as well as Cashmere Mist
- still a perennial bestseller - which was launched in spring 1994.
Along with Lauder, Karan has added numerous scents, including DKNY
Women (1999), DKNY Men (2000), Donna Karan Black Cashmere (2002),
Be Delicious Women (2004), Be Delicious Men and Essence (both in
2005) and DKNY Red Delicious for men and women (spring 2006). Her
most recent fragrance launch was Donna Karan Gold, which made its
debut in October. "Donna Karan is, and continues to be, a tremendous
influence in the fragrance industry," Rochelle Bloom, president
of the Fragrance Foundation, said in the statement. "Throughout
her career, Donna has been recognized for her significant achievements
in fashion, and on behalf of the entire fragrance industry, I am
honored to present her with the prestigious Hall of Fame award."
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Donna Karan
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DONNA KARAN GOLD, 50ml EDP, $125
"I've always been seduced by the passion and power of gold. I'm
drawn to its light, compelled to touch it. As a designer, I love
gold against black. I have finally captured gold's warm sensuality
in a scent. Donna Karan Gold centers around my favorite elements:
Casablanca Lily and Amber. The Lily gives it the illumination, the
Amber lends the sexiness and warmth. This luxurious fragrance embraces
what it means to be a woman - soft and vulnerable on the inside,
and powerfully seductive on the outside. Gold is magnetic, intoxicating,
mesmerizing. Experience its attraction for yourself." - Donna Karan
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