Donna Karan - Donna Karan honoured for charity work

Donna Karan honoured for charity work

Donna Karan has been honoured for her charity work.

The fashion designer was recognised for her help and relief efforts in Haiti - which was hit by an earthquake and tsunami in early 2010 - and she was presented with her award by Bill Clinton at the Clinton Global Citizen Awards in New York on Monday (24.09.12).

Former US president Clinton said: ''Every other year that we've given these awards we always have a different designer. But, we intend for this award to be around as long as we're giving out awards. So I think we should give an award to Donna Karan. I believe that it is overwhelmingly because of her that the arts and crafts centre of the Haitian economy may be the first sector that is actually doing better today than it was before the earthquake and I will never be able to thank her enough.''

Donna - who helped design the award - worked with Haitian artisan Karine Villard and Nadja Swarovski of Swarovski on the philanthropic work in the Caribbean country, through her own Urban Zen foundation.

She added to WWD: ''Last night was extraordinary. President Clinton inspires everything I do, from my work in Haiti to Urban Zen. I was [happy] to design the Global Citizen Award, but I was completely shocked when President Clinton presented me with the award at the end of the evening. I am humbled and honoured.''