| Dawnn Karen | |
| Birth Date: | December 10 |
| Birth Place: | Cleveland, Ohio, US |
| Education: | Psychology and ethnic studies, Bowling Green University Master of Arts from Teachers College, Columbia University |
| Occupation: | Fashion psychologist and professor |
| Known For: | Founder of the Fashion Psychology Field and Institute |
| Notable Works: | Author of Dress Your Best Life |
| Website: | https://www.fashionpsychologysuccess.com/ |
Dawnn Karen is an American fashion psychologist, professor of psychology, author, and freelance model.
Karen was born in Cleveland, Ohio. She is of African-American and Jamaican heritage.[1] In secondary school she skipped the 5th grade and soon after attended high school at the Cleveland School of the Arts, majoring in vocal music (opera) and minoring in creative writing.[2] [3]
For her undergraduate studies, Karen attended Bowling Green State University, majoring in Psychology and minoring in Ethnic studies.[4] While attending, she made and sold her own jewelry. For her graduate studies, she attended Teachers College, Columbia University, graduating with a Masters of Arts in counseling psychology.[5] While there, she interned at a public relations agency.[6]
Karen currently resides in New York City.[7] [8] [9]
Karen claims to be the world's first fashion psychologist,[10] and has trademarked the term "Fashion Psychology Field". However, University of Delaware professor Jaehee Jung has offered a course titled the "Social Psychological Aspects of Clothing", combining the fields of fashion and psychology.[11]
In the beginning of her career, she traveled the Middle East and Eurasia to gather research, creating her fashion psychology field theories. She has worked with clients such as Klarna, A$AP Rocky,[12] PayPal, and Honey.[13]
She has spoken at the Kyiv Security Forum on the burkini ban,[14] and at the United Nations on empowering women via fashion psychology.[15] [16]
In 2018, the New York Times described her as "The Dress Doctor".[17] The Times has also called her "the world’s first fashion psychologist".
Karen became the first black female psychology professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology in April 2015.[18] There she taught courses such as Color psychology and General Psychology in the Social sciences department.
Karen worked as a freelance model while attending Teachers College Columbia University.
Her book Dress Your Best Life; How to Harness the Power of Clothes To Transform Your Confidence was published in the UK on March 26, 2020.[19] It was also published in the US under Dress Your Best Life; How to Use Fashion Psychology to Take Your Look -- and Your Life -- to the Next Level on April 14, 2020.[20]