Donna Karan New York Launches Summer 2025 Social Media Campaign

When Donna Karan launched a collection in 1985 that founded her namesake designer brand, she did so with the concept of “Seven Easy Pieces,” aka wardrobe staples and builders—the bodysuit, tailored jacket, pants, skirt, cashmere sweater, leather jacket, and evening look—geared at the working woman. While a lot has changed with the Donna Karan brand in the last 40 years—it’s now owned by G-III Apparel—today’s iteration offers those seven pieces and more at a price point once referred to in department stores as moderate.

With a stunning campaign art directed by Trey Laird, the initial launch campaign for Spring 2024, shot by Annie Leibovitz, starred supermodels Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Karlie Kloss, and more. It was followed up with the Fall 2024 campaign “Reflections on Women,” shot by Mikael Jansson and starring Christy Turlington, Amber Valletta, and Alek Wek. Now, the brand aimed at today’s professional woman is introducing its latest campaign for summer 2025, building on the launch campaign.

This time, the media initiative, which will launch on Donna Karan New York’s Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook channels, along with DonnaKaran.com, stars Helena Christensen, Isabeli Fontana, Cindy Bruna, and Esther Cañadas, women who have had key moments in advertising and fashion shows during the brand’s designer powerhouse days. Today, they represent women who inspire the brand story.

For this latest effort, the campaign features interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage of the photo shoot. In a series of videos, the models reflect on their time with the brand. For instance, Cindy Bruna recalls her first runway show for Donna Karan and echoes the sentiment of the campaign, saying, “It’s all about walking down the street like it’s your runway and feeling powerful.”

Ester Cañadas recalls coming to New York for a Donna Karan campaign for one day and staying for 10 years. The Spanish model and actress noted Karen’s trailblazing campaigns featuring diverse types of women, which “is really about you.”

Dutch supermodel Helena Christensen touts, “Donna Karan, Peter Lindberg and New York is such a great combination. I always felt like a feminine, powerful woman. That’s the most important way a designer can make a woman feel,” in her video.

Brazilian supermodel Isabeli Fontana recalls her first campaign for Donna Karan and coming to New York at 15 in 2002. (Though presumptively the model was referring to the 2011 campaign shot by the star photography couple Inez & Vinoodh when she was closer to 28 years old.) In the video, Fontana speaks about the ground-breaking campaign that showed the model ‘testifying’ in a courtroom. “It’s a woman who knows what she is doing, and she is using her power and her feminine side to create a better planet.”

Once again, Trey Laird, who has been instrumental to the brand’s image dating back to the late Eighties, led the Creative Direction. Christian Ferretti shot hero images, and Natalie Paul captured BTS stills. Former Vanity Fair editor Jessica Diehl styled the shoot with hair and makeup by Shay Ashual and Francelle Daly, respectively.