Kaia Gerber Is the New Global Face of DKNY, Representing “A New Day” for the Brand

(Image credit: Donna Karan)

published 12 February 2024

On the heels of Donna Karan New York’s relaunch last week—complete with a Spring 2024 campaign featuring Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, and six other models spanning several generations—the brand has announced its new global face: Kaia Gerber.

Gerber represents “a new day at DKNY,” the brand said in a statement, adding that she is “infusing the Spring 2024 Campaign with a fresh energy that sets the stage for a new era of iconic American style with a New York edge” and is “bringing undeniably real sophistication to the campaign.”

In its next iteration—which it describes as “a new era of accessible luxury”—DKNY is simultaneously bringing new energy yet also zooming in on the original ethos of the brand. To create the Spring 2024 collection, DKNY researched thousands of archival looks and vintage details, and the collection features new takes on signature items like lightweight blazers, cotton dress shirts, and sleeveless draped dresses, paying homage to Karan’s Seven Easy Pieces method of dressing.

“[Karan] introduced a new style of power dressing, which celebrated women and their bodies,” Crawford said. “That was her sweet spot, and it still is.”

Crawford is one of eight supermodels featured in the brand’s “In Women We Trust” campaign, alongside Evangelista, Shalom Harlow, Carolyn Murphy, Amber Valletta, Karlie Kloss, Imaan Hammam, and Liya Kebede, each of whom has had their own connection to DKNY over the years. The campaign was photographed by Annie Leibovitz. “Donna represents strength and sensuality,” Evangelista said in a statement. “You can be whoever you want to be.”

Gerber—who is Crawford’s daughter—was shot in a campaign by Alasdair McLellan, styled by Alastair McKimm, and creative directed by Trey Laird. “Kaia best represents the all-American style which classic DKNY was known for, but with a new energy and spirit,” Laird said.

Karan founded the brand in 1984, 40 years ago this year. The Spring 2024 collection is available globally via the brand’s website and in select retailers.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.