Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Donna Karan Goes to Bat for Galliano

Just when you thought you were safe from John Galliano news, New York magazine has found an apologist for the anti-Semitism-spewing designer.

Jewish fashionista Donna Karan has gone to bat for the disgraced Galliano, who faces prison time in France for public rants about his “love” for Hitler and other hate speech. Presumably in reference to his firing by the Christian Dior fashion house, Karan told the magazine that Galliano’s remarks were “blown up out of proportion.”

“He’s a wonderful designer, a brilliant designer, and he probably needs help and support right now,” she said, explaining why his comments should be overlooked. “To be a designer’s a very taskful situation, and sometimes it can push a few limits.”

Karan’s comments put her at odds with Natalie Portman, who condemned the designer immediately after his comments came to light. But she has at least one ally in her views – “Sex and the City” costumer Patricia Field, who also came to his defense after his firing.

Nor is she his only Jewish defender – Galliano’s lawyer, as the Shmooze noted in March, is also a Jew.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.