People@Donna Karan interview

International fashion designer extraordinaire and founder of the DKNY label, Donna Karan has been dressing people all her working life, but now, she says, it’s time to address people.

Her Urban Zen initiative was born out of frustration that so much was missing from traditional Western practices of medicine. While powerful science and pharmaceuticals are of course vital in curing disease, she noticed there was a distinct lack of healing of the heart and the spirit. ‘We must treat the patient with the same passions with which we fight the disease,’ Karan insists.

Her vigour in spreading this message has included not only setting up seminars and training staff but she has converted her husband’s studio into a well-being centre and retail outlet with personally selected products including clothing, jewellery, home furnishings, CDs, books, perfumes and art where a percentage of the proceeds all go towards the project. We caught up with her in New York to find out more.

Where did the name ‘Urban Zen’ come from to describe your initiative?
'Urban Zen' seemed to sum up the two things that I believe this project is about. One is finding the calm amidst the chaos of our daily city lives: we always leave the city to try to find peace, but I’m proposing that maybe to find true calm you need to look inside and change what’s there rather than what’s on the outside. Secondly, this initiative is about harmonizing Eastern philosophy with Western medical practice and bringing the two opposites together.

What are the intentions of the initiative?
It is all to do with mind, body and spirit. Along with our three divisions: wellness, helping children in need and the preservation of culture, we are looking to shift the paradigm of the healthcare system today. Our aim with the Urban Zen philosophy is to raise awareness, inspire change and bring people together.

How do you intend to bring about change?
On a philosophical level it is about teaching and building communities but we are also validating the initiative by putting it into practice. We are building healing centres in hospitals, training doctors and nurses and recently employed 70 yoga teachers educated in Urban Zen to work in hospitals across the country.

How is the project financed?
A lot of the money comes from sponsorship and private donations but the other artery is the retail formula. A percentage of all the objects sold in the store goes to the project.

What do you sell in the Urban Zen store?
We have an exclusive line of cosy, comfortable and what I call 24-hour clothes. But the store is not only about clothes it also about the preservation of culture. There are lots of objects from other designers and artists as well as a vast selection of things that I have personally chosen from around the globe including jewellery, home furnishings, CDs, books, oils and perfumes.

How have you designed and decorated the space to reflect the principles of the initiative?
As soon as you enter the space you are taken away. The smells and the aromas that first greet inspire instant calm. No money has been put into the architecture of the space so it’s very raw but it is beautiful. There’s a simple little café with juices, soups and cookies, and there’s a wonderful outdoor space. We’re always holding cultural events and benefits there so the atmosphere is fantastic.

What was the inspiration for the initiative?
I have never been one to sit back, I have always been driven to solve problems. With Urban Zen it was after talking to so many of my friends about their treatment in hospital that it occurred to me that our culture was so focused on dealing with the disease, the patient was almost forgotten. As much as we talk about globalization, we’ve got a long way to go. There’s a soul in our culture that needs to be preserved.

How do you reconcile the polar opposite mindsets that run one of the world's most successful fashion labels with an initiative that springs from ancient philosophical values?
I’ve always been involved in both worlds. I’ve been doing yoga since I was 18 and been fascinated by the East. I also think that with success comes a responsibility to give back. I know it’s a huge undertaking but I love it.

@Source: http://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/ 10 December 2007