Columbia Educated Pioneer, Pundit, Professor,
Primary Source,
Proponent & Philanthropist
of the
Fashion Psychology Field®
Dr. Dawnn Karen is a trailblazing figure in the world of fashion psychology, recognized as the Mother of the Fashion Psychology Field® and the founder of the Fashion Psychology Institute®. A graduate of Teachers College, Columbia University, she made history as the first Black Psychology Professor (now Emeritus) at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she also held the distinction of being one of the youngest professors at the time.
Dr. Dawnn is widely celebrated for sparking global trends such as “dopamine dressing” , which inspired the rise of "dopamine decor" and "dopamine beauty". phenomena that gained viral traction on platforms like TikTok and Pinterest. Her revolutionary work has reshaped how people think about the relationship between fashion, psychology, and self-expression.
Dawnn Karen’s groundbreaking book,
Dress Your Best Life, is a testament to her mission of unity, inclusivity, and empowerment for all communities.
Through her work, she highlights how
fashion psychology serves as a universal tool for healing, self-expression, empowerment, and transformation, transcending boundaries of background, culture, identity, and borders.
Her voice has the power to bridge divides and inspire collective growth, making her a true advocate for global change. As a doubly-signed author with two of the "Big 5" publishing houses—Hachette US and Penguin UK—
Dr. Dawnn penned the internationally acclaimed book Dress Your Best Life. Published in five languages with six unique covers, the book has reached readers worldwide, including in both Ukraine and Russia, further solidifying her role as a global thought leader. It has also become a #1 Bestseller in Commercial Fashion on Amazon, earning widespread acclaim from readers across the globe.
See reader reviews!
A sought-after speaker, Dr. Dawnn has been invited to share her insights at prestigious venues and events across the globe, including the Association of Image Consultants International Asia, where she recently returned from China after certifying 200 Image Consultants with Continuing Education Units (CEUs) from 12 regions across Asia, some of whom had English as their second language. She has also spoken at TEDx, the United Nations' Empower Women initiative, the Kyiv Security Forum at the invitation of the Prime Minister of Ukraine, and the Columbia University Alumni Association. Her engaging talks have captivated audiences at museums, libraries, universities, expos, and conferences for years.
Dubbed The Cut's 'Media Darling', and The Guardian's 'Wardrobe Whisperer'
Dr. Dawnn is a prolific contributor to major networks and publications in over 70 countries across six continents. Her ability to connect with diverse audiences is exemplified by her appearances on polarizing platforms like CNN, and Fox News, where she has shared her insights on fashion psychology with millions of readers and viewers.
Her editorial collaborations and features include high-profile names such as Forbes (America), Forbes (Czech) The Weather Network (Canada), Globe and Mail (Canada), The Ryan Jespersen Show (Canada), NPR, Lorraine (London), Good Morning America, Guten Morgen Deutschland (Germany), Tamron Hall Show, Today, Inside Edition, The Morning Show (Australia),
The Doctors TV (Los Angeles), The New Yorker, The New York Times Style,
The Sunday Times (South Africa), TimesLIVE (South Africa),
Vogue (Australia, Germany, Mexico, Business, Teen), Elle (Canada, South Africa,
France, Ukraine, Netherlands), Les Echos (France), Agency France-Presse, Vanity Fair Italia, Glamour Italia, WWD Japan, Tokion (Japan), Tatler Asia, South China Morning Post, Essence Magazine, Rolling Out, The Root, The Network Journal, The Wall Street Journal, Thrive Global, BBC News, The Financial Times (London), Bloomberg, Reuters, Emotion (Germany),
L’ Officiel (Austria), Tagblatt (Switzerland), Australian Financial Review, Sydney Morning Herald, Refinery 29 (US, UK),
Bazaar (Kuwait) (front cover),
Emirates Woman, Iran Front Page News, and many others. She has also lent her voice to leading brands' publications including Nordstrom, Harvey Nichols Dubai, Selfridges, and the NBA.
Through her work, Dr. Dawnn helps individuals—from students and professionals to public figures, celebrities, and people of all cultures, religions, sexualities, and educational backgrounds— reclaim their identity and achieve alignment between their inner selves and outward appearance, a concept she describes as "styling from the inside out™."
She has worked on high-profile fashion campaigns and collaborated with clients and corporations such as PayPal, Klarna, Rapper A$AP Rocky, Unilever, Figat7th, General Electric, Supreme Court Justice William Franc Perry, Honey,
Comedian Angelina Spicer, and many more.
Her mission is to empower others to harness the transformative power of fashion psychology to live their best lives.
Fun Fact: Before her ingenious career in psychology, Dr. Dawnn worked in the fashion industry as a signed model, accessories designer, freelance writer, and PR professional, bringing a foundational, insider perspective to her current work.
Dawnn Karen’s journey into the arts, fashion, and education began at
The Singing Angels, the Phillis Wheatley Association,
The Cleveland School of the Arts,
and the All City Arts Program
where she specialized in operatic vocal performance, jazz vocal performance, jazz dance performance, musical theater and creative writing.
She further honed her talents at the Cleveland Music Settlement, studying musical theater, and briefly attended Barbizon Modeling School, where she explored the world of fashion and modeling.
At just 17 years old, she graduated with a unique blend of artistic, musical, and literary skills that would later shape her multifaceted career.
Her passion for education and mentorship emerged early.
By the age of 19, while attending
Bowling Green State University, she began teaching at the collegiate level as a
During the summers, Dawnn expanded her impact by working with the
Freedom Schools®.
She first served as a Servant Leader (teacher) for elementary students and later as a Site Coordinator (principal) for K-12 students, further developing her leadership and teaching expertise.
After earning her master’s degree from
Teachers College, Columbia University.
Dawnn achieved a significant milestone by becoming a professor at the
Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT)
There, she made history as the first Black (African American-Jamaican) Psychology Professor since 1992 and the youngest professor to teach at the institution.
Over her 9 years at FIT, she taught more than 55 classes to over 1,650 students, earning some of the highest student evaluations on campus with an average performance score of 5.6/6. Her classes frequently reached full capacity, with students often requesting over-tallies to secure a spot.
Her dedication to her students and inspiring teaching methods have made her a beloved figure in the academic community.
See what the students
are saying on the social media platform
Rate My Professor here.
Dawnn Karen’s Teaching Philosophy centers on empowering students to think critically and creatively, bridging the gap between theory and practice. Her legacy as an educator, mentor, and pioneer continues to inspire both her students and the broader academic and fashion communities. Student Query.
Dawnn’s innovative work in merging psychology and fashion caught the attention of The New York Times, which dubbed her “The Dress Doctor” and later, The Times (London) hailed her as “The World’s First Fashion Psychologist” after an investigative assessment of her contributions to creating a new discipline within both the psychology field and the fashion industry. Notably, while she holds a master’s degree from an Ivy League institution, she has completed an impressive 121 graduate-level credits in psychology, underscoring her deep knowledge and commitment to the field.
PROFESSOR
Fun Fact: As a child, Dawnn was a participant in the
GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program
and was academically accelerated, skipping the 5th grade—a testament to her early intellectual curiosity and drive.
PRIMARY SOURCE
Dr. Dawnn Karen is frequently sought after as a Primary Source for students worldwide, contributing to over 69+ high schools, colleges, and universities.
Her unique expertise supports thesis projects, dissertations, capstones, and academic research, making her an invaluable resource in academia.
Fashion Psychology Field®
PIONEER
&
PROPONENT
Dawnn Karen is a pioneering thought leader, change maker, healer, inventor, and innovator, holding registered trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for her Fashion Psychology Field®, often regarded as the 55th Division in Psychology. Despite facing betrayal and academic and industry theft—where others have falsely claimed ownership and creation of her work—she has courageously testified and appeared pro se (self-represented) in the
United States District Court, Southern District, and testified in the Court of Appeals (United Kingdom), advocating for justice and intellectual integrity.
A champion for equality and inclusivity in fashion, her voice inspired noted fashion designers and brands to donate 4 million USD in funding ∗∗including∗∗
1 million each from PVH Corp
(the parent company of Calvin Klein, whose namesake is an F.I.T. alumnus, and Tommy Hilfiger), Tapestry, Inc. (Coach, Kate Spade), and Capri Holdings, to establish a
Beyond her work in fashion, Dawnn is deeply committed to supporting survivors of sexual abuse, a cause she has championed since her early academic years. Her work began at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), where she researched child sexual abuse through the McNair and STARS programs and volunteered at BGSU's Cocoon domestic & sexual violence agency. She later worked at Columbia University's/Barnard College's Rape Crisis Anti-Violence Support Center where she continued her research on sexual abuse from an epigenetic lens, exploring the profound interplay between trauma, biology, and ancestral inheritance, shedding light on how past experiences shape present realities.
Today, she continues this mission through her new initiative, Fashion Psychology: Survivors' Relationship with Our Clothing™,
a confidential program offering survivors a novel pathway toward healing.
Dawnn empowers individuals to reclaim their identity and confidence through her trailblazing work. She invites students to learn directly from her at the
Fashion Psychology Institute®, (FPI) ensuring authenticity in a field often marked by imitation. At FPI, we empower individuals to align their inner selves with their outward appearance through "styling from the inside out™," then teach them to help others do the same, fostering a global community of empowerment.
Today, she has partnered with the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI Global) as an
Academy Provider, funneling her innovative curriculum virtually to their global audience.
Fun Fact: Dawnn received her first award, the Trailblazing Award, in 2022 from the University of Maryland College Park's WETATi Academy for her pioneering efforts in the United States. In 2024, she was honored with her second award, the Speaker Appreciation Award, from the Association of Image Consultants International (AICI Asia) in China.
Dawnn Karen's philanthropic work springs from profound personal experience. At just three years old, she learned resilience while living under a bridge— an experience so remarkable it was featured on the front page of the
Cleveland Plain Dealer's Metro section.
Rather than letting this hardship define her, she transformed it into purpose, becoming a connector of worlds who builds bridges of opportunity for marginalized women reclaiming their power, students denied access to education, and global communities too often dismissed as statistics.
She volunteers with the
Cleveland Urban Minority Alcoholism Drug Abuse Outreach Project’s Black Butterflies, assisting the seamstress in teaching formerly substance-dependent women how to sew,
aiding in their recovery and empowerment.
She also funds the annual tuition for
primary school pupils,
at
Additionally, she recently completed sponsoring a ward of the state to attend
Northern Caribbean University,
a Seventh-Day Adventist institution located in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica,
providing life-changing opportunities for
young learners.
She also assists scholars through her involvement with the
Friends of Kingston Technical High School,
a charity dedicated to supporting education and development in
Kingston, Kingston Parish, Jamaica.
Additionally, she supports her community through
bi-annual donations to the
Wilmington Seventh-Day Adventist Church, (Wilmington, St. Thomas, Jamaica) furthering her mission to uplift and inspire those in need.
In addition to her educational initiatives,
Dawnn Karen
occasionally takes on pro bono
fashion psychology clients, helping individuals reclaim their identity and transform their lives through the power of personal growth and self expression.
One notable example includes counseling and partially funding the studies of a former
Rikers Island felon, helping him fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a Pastry Chef by supporting his training at the
Amaury Guichon’s Pastry Academy
in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Guichon, a Swiss-French world-renowned
Pastry Chef and Chocolatier celebrated for his viral culinary artistry and featured on
Netflix’s School of Chocolate,
provides elite training—a testament to the transformative power of belief, opportunity, and the redressing of the mind.
His journey from prison to pastry proves: when we redress minds first, redemption follows.
What began as survival under a bridge has become Dawnn Karen's life's work: building pathways where society sees only divides, and lighting the way for others to cross from
struggle to success.
Dawnn Karen X New York Times
Dawnn Karen X New York Times