One of the great pleasures of talking with Donna Karan and her husband, sculptor Stephan Weiss, is discovering how exquisitely they translated the passion they felt for each other to the sensory world of scent.

"When I walked into the fragrance project," she recalls, "I was a little skeptical, even cynical. Now, fragrance has become a passion for me. It means more to me than ever before. The project has expanded the wonderful relationship I have with my husband in a magnificent new way. It gave us another dimension of expression"

Donna is quick to reveal that she always relates fragrance to fashion. "The common denominator," she explained, "is honesty and integrity."

"Life is the senses." Donna proclaims. "I want what I design, whether it’s fashion or fragrance, to become a classic. I look at it. I wear it. I treasure it. My designs are about warmth, touch, comfort, sophistication and sexuality. They become a part of my lifestyle."

" A classic, must be distinctive, unique. It can’t be a "me too," a version of something else."

"Everything in life has a scent. Certainly fabrics have their own individual scents. In fact that’s where we got the idea for our first fragrance. I wanted it to smell like suede."

Donna recalls. "It was the odor of a particular red suede that I loved. The feeling I wanted to impart was cuddly, like cashmere: warm, delicious, comfortable and sensuous. It is everything that I feel, so I couldn’t imagine the fragrance to be anything else.

"People wear the designer, wear the fragrance, buy into the fantasy. As far as my designs are concerned, I believe the consumer knows that what I stand for is not about clothing—but about a lifestyle. When she closes her eyes and thinks about Donna Karan, I’m sure an immediate image comes to her mind."