Donna's Journal

The Handcrafted Belt

A Jason Ross’ hand-crafting process is as unique as the belts he designs. Once Donna and design director Peter Speliopoulos set the season’s mood, Jason and his team develop prototypes in the spirit of the collection, inspired by their archive of antiques, old tools and images sourced from museums and libraries. They fashion working prototypes, each with original custom-designed buckles, which are narrowed to final selections by Donna and Peter. Then the magic begins. Each belt is entirely hand-assembled using tools that leatherworkers have used for centuries. The strap is individually cut from a full leather hide, then carefully hand-dyed in up to four coats to fit the season’s color story. An exclusive combination of oils and waxes are applied to the leather for its signature luxurious look and feel. The buckle, cast in solid brass or nickel silver, is hand-finished to achieve the uniquely antiqued patina. Additionally, each rivet is hand-ground and polished, with no two rivets exactly alike. The final touch comes from an antique hot-stamping machine, which brands each belt with “A. Jason Ross for Donna Karan” and its provenance, “Made in the USA”.

Thinking about Motherhood

I’ve been thinking a lot about motherhood and what it means to be a mother; it’s is a subject that I’ve shared my heart and soul on many times. I am a mother and grandmother and my maternal instincts have fueled not only my familial relationships, but also my desire to bring mind, body and spirit into my life as a businesswoman and philanthropist.

This spectrum of motherhood spans across so many things and, in my opinion, highlights what’s most important. This week, I was an extra proud mama. I had the extraordinary pleasure of witnessing my daughter, Gabby, being honored at the Solving Kids Cancer’s Annual Gala. I was bursting with pride watching Gabby receive the “Wings of Hope” award for her tireless support of such a necessary and important issue. And, I’m delighted to share that evening was a fantastic success bringing in over $440,000 to fund new treatment options for kids.

As I write this, I am back in Haiti, a place where I tune into my maternal intuition constantly. As women, we are creators and the desire to give birth is woven into the essence of who we are – whether we birth babies, businesses or ideas is entirely up to us – but our ability to create is an amazing offering; an offering that the world needs.

So, in honor of Mother’s Day, I want to encourage each and every one of you to reach into your inner reserves of creativity. Tap into your unique talents and offer the world your own, authentic, brilliant, illuminated creativity.

All my love,

NAOMIE HARRIS

Actress Naomie Harris wears Donna Karan Atelier to the Costume Institute Gala for the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” exhibition on May 6, 2013 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

JENNIFER MORRISON

Actress Jennifer Morrison wears Donna Karan Atelier to the Costume Institue Gala for the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” exhibition on May 6, 2013 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Credit: Stephen Lovekin/FilmMagic

HAILEE STEINFELD

Actress Hailee Steinfeld wears Donna Karan Atelier to the Costume Institute Gala for the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013 in New York City. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images.

EMMY ROSSUM

Actress Emmy Rossum wears Donna Karan Atelier to the Costume Institute Gala for the “PUNK: Chaos to Couture” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2013 in New York City. Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images.

BETH BEHRS

Actress Beth Behrs wore Donna Karan Atelier to the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton on April 27, 2013 in Washington, DC. Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

JAIMIE ALEXANDER

Jaimie Alexander wore Donna Karan Pre-Fall 2013 Look 23 to the Los Angeles special screening of Millennium Entertainment’s ‘The Iceman’ at ArcLight Hollywood on April 22, 2013 in Hollywood, California. Photo by David Livingston/Getty Images

Finding the World in New York

New York has always meant the world to me. I’m often asked why I chose to name my company Donna Karan New York and I always say the same thing: My name really didn’t mean anything, but New York… New York means everything.

Well, this past week was a perfect snapshot into the world that is New York City. My days were packed with conferences, events and galas… all of which spoke to the diverse facets of my own passions and the global community that makes up this city that continues to motivate me everyday.

From connecting with my friends and inspirations at the Clinton Foundation, to supporting a cause very close to my heart at the Annual Pink Ribbon Gala, to celebrating the Tribeca Film Festival with an event at Urban Zen to supporting key members of my Haiti crew - Bryn Mooser and David Darg – and the premier of their film, “The Rider and the Storm.”

A definite highlight of my week was spending my Saturday afternoon with Haitian Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe, who stopped by Urban Zen to see the gorgeous collection of uniquely designed papier mâché hearts (part of the Fashion for Haiti: One Million Hearts exhibition that is now available on eBay!). We also took some time to stroll through the Connecting the Dots exhibition and catch up on all things Haiti over lunch at Locanda Verde.

Such an inspiring week! And, now, all of my energies are focused on Barbra who just arrived in New York this weekend. Much to celebrate… stay tuned!

All my love,

HILARY RHODA

Model Hilary Rhoda wore Donna Karan Atelier to the Tiffany & Co. Blue Book Ball at Rockefeller Center in New York City on April 18, 2013. (Getty Images)