Donna Karan has apologized for a second time after she gave comments to DailyMail.com that appeared to defend Harvey Weinstein from allegations of sexual harassment and assault
Donna Karan has issued a second apology for her comments given to DailyMail.com that appeared to defend Harvey Weinstein from allegations of sexual harassment.
‘I am sorry for the comments I made last week. Those words do not represent who I am, what I believe or what I have represented throughout my career, the fashion designer said in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter on Sunday night.
‘There is no question that women should wear what they want, when they want and without fear of being harassed, molested or abused. I am sorry for saying something I did not mean,’ Karan, 69, continued.
‘What Harvey Weinstein did is unconscionable and unforgivable. I apologize for my comments that gave the impression that I feel any other way about any man who disrespects, harasses or abuses any woman.’
The comment comes after an initial apology statement given to DailyMail.com on October 10 and widespread calls to boycott her fashion line after she appeared to defend Weinstein during a red carpet interview with DailyMail.com on October 8.
Karan and Weinstein are pictured together in 2007. Karan said in her second apology: ‘There is no question that women should wear what they want, when they want and without fear of being harassed, molested or abused. I am sorry for saying something I did not mean’
Weinstein is pictured standing and Karan is pictured sitting at right. Karan said in a red carpet interview with DailyMail.com last week: ‘It’s not Harvey Weinstein. You look at everything all over the world today and how women are dressing, what they’re asking by just presenting themselves the way they do. What are they asking for? Trouble’
‘I think he’s being looked at right now as a symbol, not necessarily as him. I know his wife, I think they’re wonderful people. Harvey has done some amazing things,’ she said on the red carpet for the CineFashion Film Awards in Los Angeles.
‘It’s not Harvey Weinstein. You look at everything all over the world today and how women are dressing, what they’re asking by just presenting themselves the way they do. What are they asking for? Trouble.’
Rose McGowan, the ‘Scream’ actress who reportedly sued Weinstein after Weinstein assaulted her in 1997, tweeted afterwards: ‘Donna Karan you are a DEPLORABLE.’
‘Aiding and abetting is a moral crime. You are scum in a fancy dress.’
According to The New York Times report that initiated Weinstein’s downfall, McGowan sued the producer in the 1990s after he allegedly harassed her and settled the suit for $100,000.
Rose McGowan, who reportedly sued Weinstein and reached a $100,000 settlement with him after he allegedly harassed her in 1997, called Karan a ‘DEPLORABLE’ for her remarks
McGowan, along with more than 30 other women, has publicly come forward about Weinstein’s actions
Karan has been faced with calls to boycott her brands. The Washington Post reported on October 12 that shares of Donna Karan International, which she no longer owns, had fallen by nearly 10 percent following her comments to DailyMail.com
Donna Karan has now apologized twice for comments she made about Harvey Weinstein (pictured)
In a statement sent just after midnight on Tuesday to DailyMail.com, Karan claimed that her remarks had been ‘taken out of context’.
‘Last night, I was honored at the Cinemoi Fashion Film Awards in Hollywood and while answering a question on the red carpet I made a statement that unfortunately is not representative of how I feel or what I believe,’ she said.
‘I have spent my life championing women. My life has been dedicated to dressing and addressing the needs of women, empowering them and promoting equal rights.
‘My statements were taken out of context and do not represent how I feel about the current situation concerning Harvey Weinstein.
‘I believe that sexual harassment is NOT acceptable and this is an issue that MUST be addressed once and for all regardless of the individual. I am truly sorry to anyone that I offended and everyone that has ever been a victim.’
But the initial apology was not enough to placate calls for boycotting her brands.
The designer is no longer involved in managing the brands Donna Karan and DKNY, which she sold in 2001 to luxury group LVMH who in turn sold it last year to G-III Apparel Group.
Karan relinquished all roles she had within these groups in 2015 to focus on her luxury lifestyle brand Urban Zen.
The hashtag #BoycottDonnaKaran trended after DailyMail.com published video of her comments last week.
‘Nothing worse than another woman betraying other women. Makes her complicit in revictimizing them,’ wrote one woman.
‘Women are not asking to be raped based on their clothing. #boycottdonnakaran I wore khakis w/long sleeve shirt when attacked by a stranger,’ wrote another.
The Washington Post reported on October 12 that shares of Donna Karan International, which she no longer owns, had fallen by nearly 10 percent following the comments.
‘General consensus is she just broke her brand,’ a market researcher told the Post.
More than 30 women have now come forward with allegations of sexual harassment against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein, the man once described as ‘God’ of the film industry.
At the CineFashion Film Awards, Karan received the Designer Icon Award in recognition of ‘her outstanding work as one of the most influential fashion designers in the world, as a versatile Innovator, and a pioneer designer in women’s wear and American fashion among other fashion and film icons.’
The event benefited the nonprofit Children Uniting Nations.