Introduction
Today, fashion designers can cooperate with Native American fashion designers. However, a thriving fashion industry still refuses to acknowledge Native American tribes as intellectual property owners. Some companies may begin on the correct path by collaborating with Native artists, but this may not necessarily result in success. Versace has lately incorporated American patterns into its Spring-Summer 2018 ready-to-wear collection (Finamore, 2022). However, the key to fashion and design is the current trend. An individual style may also be considered a fashion when tied to contemporary developments. Everyone has their style; however, it cannot be considered a fashion if it is unrelated to modernity. This paper will be performing a comparative analysis of fashion designers Donna Karan and Donatella Versace with respect to design’s sustainability, critical design, vernacular, and identity. It will also critically assess the work in terms of form, function, materiality and design context with reference to cultural, political, historical, and ideological aspects.
Themes
Sustainability
Sustainability has several meanings, even within the fashion design and manufacturing industries. Janet Hethorn and Connie Ulasewicz, famous fashion researchers, consider sustainability as a process that Evades harm to people, eliminates harm to the ecosystem, strengthens the well-being of individuals who socialize with it, and improves the well-being of the surroundings in which it is established and designed (Casto and DeLong, 2020). Retail firms require designers and product managers to have the knowledge and abilities to create and manufacture sustainable items since customers increasingly demand that apparel companies operate according to sustainable principles.
Donatella Versace incorporates environmentally responsible practices into their fashion design and apparel lines. For the Met Gala, Versace wanted to create a sustainable garment across the whole supply chain to support and promote what should be an essential habit within the fashion business and the global community. Gisele Bündchen, for instance, wore a 100% sustainable Versace garment at the Met Gala (see Fig. 1) (W magazine, 2022). The fabric and lining are 100% organic silk that has been eco-dyed, the threads are 100% organic cotton, and everything is GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certified (W magazine, 2022). The needlework is wholly composed of crystals manufactured from recycled Brazilian glass bottles.
However, most of Donna Karan’s trendy items and companies do not adhere to sustainability objectives. It has a low environmental rating and employs few eco-friendly materials (Coleman, 2018). In addition, there is little indication that it decreases carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain. There is no indication that the company has made significant steps to minimize or remove harmful substances, and there is no indication that it reduces textile waste.
Additionally, its labor ranking could be higher. Its supply chains are not accredited according to labor standards that guarantee worker health and safety, livable wages, and other labor rights. It scored between 0 and 10% on the Fashion Transparency Index 2022 (Coleman, 2018). There is no evidence that it employs methods that promote diversity and inclusion throughout its supply chain, and there must be proof that it provides a livable wage across its supply chain. However, with the purchase of Donna Karan and DKNY, G-III Apparel chose to become fur-free with both brands starting in autumn 2019 to comply with the fashion industry’s sustainability standards (Wright, 2018). Consequently, Donatella Versace’s brands are more sustainable than Donna Karan’s.
Vernacular
Vernacular architecture consists of modest, basic, native, and traditional constructions composed of local materials and adhering to time-tested forms and styles. According to Glassie (2000), vernacular design and architecture are structural styles that evolve in response to the local climate and social factors. For instance, Donatella Versace’s “Athletic Couture” line is derived from Milan, an Italian cultural center, thus its name. The vernacular design comprised skirts with ergonomic lines that followed the contours of the models, harness straps, white ski leggings, and matching zip-up tops with orange go-faster stripes, all of which might be vaguely classified as sporty. In contrast, the vernacular designs of Donna Karan are more reminiscent of Native American architecture. As a designer, for instance, she embodies the urban vernacular as a representative of New York culture. She was one of the first designers to exhibit clothing, purses, and footwear in the same category, and she has used the same strategy for clothing men.
Critical Design
Critical design materializes parts of the future to elicit a response. Critical design is the materialization of a fundamental idea and involves engaging people through the language and structure of design rather than via words (Rose, 2016). This kind of design employs design fiction and speculative design suggestions to question assumptions and preconceptions about the use of daily products. Critical design serves a similar function as product design, although it does not highlight an object’s economic function or physical usefulness (Rose, 2016). Its primary purpose is to provide a critical viewpoint or spark discussion while raising public awareness of social, cultural, or ethical concerns.
Donna Karan constantly innovates with a new flexible and seductive clothing collection. Karan built Urban Zen using essential design elements to find “calm amid the cacophony.” The world is tight and full of stress and conflict, which prompted Karan to establish a community of consciousness and transformation focused on preserving cultures, the link between body and spirit, health and awareness, and feeling good about oneself and life. Karan’s clothing designs for Urban Zen are what individuals wear when they feel good about themselves. Donna Karan believes clothing should seamlessly extend one’s lifestyle (Rubenstein, n.d.). Therefore, Karan prefers clothing and fabrics that are stretchy, mobile, and adaptable to almost any circumstance. Moreover, Karan likes lightweight and fluid textiles, such as cashmere and silk, that feels incredible on the skin. These garments make one feel or want freedom. In this situation, consider Urban Zen a costume and an “address” that reflects what is within.
Donatella is still inspired by innovation and audacious inventiveness, yet she adheres to many old industry ideals. She loves mood boards, continues to pick individuals off the street, and immerses herself as much as possible in the design, production, and PR processes. Furthermore, despite her aim to shock, her adoration of beauty is nonetheless graceful. According to Arnould and Dion (2022), timing is vital in any sector. More than anything else, Donatella Versace’s most outstanding quality has been her ability to strike at the optimal time. While the designer has styled numerous ground-breaking collections, it has been rewarded and revered throughout the industry.
Identity
Designing a brand’s identity includes creating the logo, color palette, and typeface. Its identity design consists of the physical aspects seen when a firm connects with a customer. Essentially, identity design establishes the brand’s tone and may be utilized to provoke various emotions in the audience. Brand identity should convey the company’s overarching message and advance commercial objectives. (Kakitek, 2018). Using Aaker’s five personality traits, Kakitek (2018) asserts that the presence of abundant elements might provide a sense of excitement. The current brand identification logo for Donna Karan is primary and, as a consequence, unique.
Versace has completely incorporated the Medusa emblem into their brand identity, promoting designs that provoke emotion. Initially, the brand was referred to as “Gianni Versace” after its creator. While the existing Versace brand in the ideal business environment is primarily centered on luxury, the successor brand must be anchored in functionality and portrayed as beneficial in daily life. Including luxury aspects, such as distinctive architecture and materials in the new goods, helps to increase brand identification (Brunetti, Confente, and Kaufmann, 2019). If not luxury, the new Versace brand should emphasize craftsmanship and daily practicality, similar to Donna Karan.
Additionally, Donatella Versace empathized with Versace’s legacy as the brand’s heritage, remembering Versace’s prestige in the 1990s. Donatella Versace empathized with Versace’s legacy as the brand heritage, recalling Versace’s honor in the 1990s, and she recreated his honor by reinterpreting Versace’s design imagery. Donatella is regarded as an exceptional creative director who guides the company by preserving its tradition and incorporating contemporary fashion trends.
Artistic Work in the Contemporary Design
The contemporary style became prominent throughout the 1970s, about the same time postmodernism gained prominence. Before it became distinctive, it was a fusion of several styles. Contemporary design uses modernist and postmodernist themes. It also drew inspiration from several other forms, including art deco, deconstructivism, and futurism. The Versace Spring/Summer 2018 show concluded with a bang: the original Versace supermodel Cindy Crawford stormed the runway in stunning gold costumes, arm-in-arm with Donatella. This was the Italian designer’s way of celebrating 20 years as creative director of the powerfully sensual empire built by her brother Gianni, an empire built on mad prints, goddess-like figure-hugging dresses, and audacious, sheer materials that dared to promote an image of the ideal woman.
Donna Karan is renowned for producing simple, stylish, and comfortable apparel. She achieved prominence for offering businesswomen an alternative to standard business suits in her collections. Utilizing a neutral color palette, her collections contain less than ten essential elements. The collection maintained her couture brand’s excellent quality and sophisticated design but at a more affordable price. The new ready-to-wear collection had flattering and fashionable items that could be readily combined. Karan debuted her revolutionary Essentials collection in 1989, continuing to create with an eye toward the busy working lady. The “Seven Easy Pieces” collection replaced the power suit with a blend of body suits, blazers, wrap skirts, and slacks that reflect modern fashion style.
Critical Assessment of the Designs
Form
The branding form is mainly used by designers or independent contractors in the branding or marketing industry. This form will collect information such as the company’s name, address, phone number, logo, client’s name, and business, as well as branding-related questions that will assist one in determining the optimal branding for the project. The Versace aesthetic has always been lavish, daring, and seductive, from figure-flattering silhouettes to exaggerated proportions. Versace topped several lists of the most famous outfits because it celebrates the feminine form.
Function
Donna Karan’s 1985 collection Seven Easy Pieces, allegedly inspired by New York and New Yorker ladies, is also known as the Donna Karan New York Collection. It was critically appreciated and introduced her to a much larger audience. Donna Karan picked Seven Easy Pieces as the design that best embodies her brand, noting that the collection is simple, innovative, and suitable for daily usage, whether during the day, evening, weekdays, or weekends. In contrast, Versace is renowned for combining materials like metal, mesh, and leather, often painted in brilliant, almost startling hues. As a tribute to the rock-and-roll style and neo-punk spirit, black leather, dazzling golden gems, bomber jackets, and zippers appear often.
Materiality
Donna Karan utilizes leather, exotic animal hair, down, and wool in her designs. It does not use fur, angora, or skin from exotic animals, and there is no indication that it can track any animal products back to the beginning of its manufacturing. Overall, DKNY is rated “We avoid.” However, the primary textile preserved is linen, which was discovered in Neolithic-era tombs. The bulk of Donna Karan’s goods are priced at a premium due to their acceptable labels and high-quality fabrics (Zhang and Zhao, 2019). Karan must thoroughly check the Digital Pen Portraits’ quality and efficiency to ensure that the standards are comparable to those used by other companies in the industry. In contrast, the Versace aesthetic has always been extravagant, daring, and seductive. In the past several decades, Donatella has integrated more architectural aspects into her designs, giving the line a more futuristic appearance.
Design Context
Contexts serve as a place of departure for determining potential outcomes and scenarios concerning a design brief. Before a product can be designed, it is necessary to consider many contextual factors. Contradicting the narration is Versace’s manner of prostitution, which shows as much as it conceals. Versace claims women’s voices via textiles that highlight and fetishize women’s flesh. In addition, Versace’s digital customer profile is highly refined, including an appreciation for craftsmanship, brand loyalty, and customization options. The focus on customization is projected to increase in the digital world (Shukla and Nigam, 2018). Therefore, buyers must be enticed by the possibility of enjoying things created just for them. However, Donna Karan assists women in reclaiming their voices so that they may be themselves. Despite his lifetime dedication to women’s visual power, it has been said that Versace deprived women of their voices and created them as objects subservient to the male gaze.
The Design’s Milieu
History
In the 1980s, the United States began the so-called yuppie period, in which young professionals’ attire signified professional success. Many women selected skirt-jacket and trouser suits to project a powerful and authoritative image in the professional world. These principles were seized on by the companies Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren. These labels are sometimes referred to as the ‘American Trinity’ for two reasons: first, since they dominated the New York ready-to-wear market in the late 20th century, and second, because they each made recognized gowns for contemporary professional women. On the other hand, Donatella Versace was raised with two significant fashion influences: her mother was a seamstress and her elder brother, Gianni Versace, was an aspiring designer. In the late 1970s, she began working for her brother as his inspiration and advisor. In the 1980s, Donatella Versace became the designer for the company’s versus brand; thus, the design was influenced by his family’s creative expertise.
Culture
Several designer and brand names include city names. Brand names are enduring cultural variables often connected with geography, socioeconomic status, or gender (King and Sisson, 2011). The manufacturer seeks to distinguish their goods via the brand (s). Donna Karan previously said that she designs for both men and women worldwide. For creative individuals who do not know where the day will lead those, including New York in the brand name is essential. It describes a particular habit and attitude. The cultural and social framework of New York City is conducive to creative work and branding. Donna Karan often accentuates the notion of New York in her DKNY creations, and she has said that it would be unthinkable for her to live anywhere else. She has put New York at the center of her brand; thus, it corresponds to the culture of New Yorkers. Donatella Versace wants to pay tribute to her brother’s creative talent. The Tribute collection by Donatella Versace incorporates Native American symbolism directly derived from her 1992 collection.
Political
The fashion designs of Donna Karan include some political philosophy. For instance, Donna claimed to have seen the first female president in a vision. In the concept, using the model, Karan represented Rosemary McGrotha as a fictitious female president in her 1992 “In Women We Trust” advertisements. The designer anticipated that Hillary Clinton would be elected president in 2016. Karan was affiliated with the Clinton Foundation’s Global Foundation in the United States for a decade, and former President Bill Clinton and the first lady both wore his designs (Larson, 2017). Based on the figure below (see Fig. 2), the supermodel Gigi walked the runway in fall-winter 2017 attire that was both sporty, seductive, and positively radiated elegance. According to Versace, the collection was inspired by the power of women and women who understand how to harness it. While the 61-year-old was making a political statement, she may have also conveyed a message for the company’s future.
Ideological
After inheriting her brother’s work ethic, Donatella Versace had a daring vision of how she wanted her business to appear, from supermodels to celebrities. She infuses her design with sumptuous and sexy garments using Greek symbols, such as Medusa’s head, which will represent the company with the word Versace subtitling it. Donatella Versace introduced luxury, glitz, and palatial retail dimensions to fashion, as only Italians can. When designing for the Versace lady, she produces extravagant garments with a particular point of view. As a fashion entrepreneur, she became renowned for her daring style and vision. Donna Karan’s design philosophy has been to create simple, no-fuss, attractive, and easy-to-wear designs that address a wardrobe dilemma for contemporary women. This natural awareness of what people want was also her crucial success element, resulting in a brand synonymous with elegance, ease, and timeless style.
Conclusion
In this comparison between Donna Karan and Donatella Versace, the comparative study suggests that Versace’s design materials are more sustainable than Donna Karan’s. In relation to culture, Donna Karan states that she creates her apparel for international ladies and men, New Yorkers. Donatella’s voiceover prompted the audience to “imagine a world without women’s loyalty” as the Tribute collection emerged on the catwalk. Consequently, Donatella is more gender-specific than Donna Karan. Due to the research’s emphasis on politics, culture, ideology, and vernacular, this study will better understand design practice and learning in general. Design research is still a new discipline with many undiscovered areas, and cultural and political viewpoints of designers from varied origins are one of the gaps.
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