DONNA KARAN, VALERIE STEELE, SHELLEY FOX. CLINT SPAULDING/PATRICK MCMULLAN COMPANY

Parsons' Tishman Auditorium packed with journalists and students as Donna Karan spoke to students about 9/11 and a "global wake-up call." Incidentally, it was that fateful day that karan was to show her Spring 2002 collections at the Armory and the Tents. She recalled the date as she announced two new programs at alma mater Parsons. Living downtown at the time, she recalled, "I peered out my window, watching the buildings and then watching the TV, and life was never the same. I think there was a real consciousness that awoke us all about what it means to be conscious."

It's this relatively recent "consciousness" that motivated Karan's conversation at her alma mater, Parsons. Her focus was the "soul of the clothing"—which from a lesser designer might sound like New Age hokum, but from one of the most important fashion profiles of the 20th Century, sounds like a manifesto. And that manifesto was filled with puns, like, "How do we address an issue? How do we dress an issue." Karan described the program's goals, "Good design right now isn't about the old system of 'let's create a dress and put it down the runway.' We have to be exposed to many different cultures and ways of designing." The two programs, one based on design and the other on theory, will focus on the environment—literally and figuratively—of the social, economic and cultural implications of fashion. The ability to simply tailor isn't enough anymore, the designer-turned-mother-turned-philanthropist repeated often throughout the night. Fair enoguh, as Karan admitted to the crowd that she failed draping when she was at Parsons. but the program was made possible with her support. The program will open in fall of 2010, although Karan won't be at the chalkboard, the program was made possible through her generous support.