One of the most exciting fashion announcements in recent years was the news that Public School's streetwise designers Dao-Yi Chow and Maxwell Osborne would share the creative director role at DKNY following Donna Karan's retirement. While amused surprise was the initial public reaction, the industry registered how well-suited Chow and Osborne were to steering DKNY. The two New Yorkers were already critical darlings-winning the CFDA/ Vogue Fashion Fund for their own label, Public School, where they mix streetwear with crisply tailored athletic gear. Even Public School's palette corresponds with the power colors of DKNY. Anticipation for their spring 2016 debut collection at the helm of the established house quickly followed.

Begun in 1989, DKNY is the faster, younger arm of Donna Karan Collection. It favors sportswear, workwear and separates that can be mixed and matched to create a full wardrobe. Its essence is modern-casual but professional. In the '90s, DKNY dressed models of the moment like Shalom Harlow and Esther Cañadas in what the label referred to as "the official uniform of New York." With the onset of the current '90s nostalgia, Opening Ceremony released a capsule DKNY collection in 2013 with Cara Delevingne as its spokesmodel. Insiders knew that Chow and Osborne-with their own celebrity following and New York roots-were the duo to usher in a new heyday for the label.

What do you usually wear to work? Osborne: "Sneakers, black t-shirt, my eyewear." Chow: "Hat, comfortable pants and comfortable jacket-and sneakers." Where do you unwind after work? Chow:"Home." Osborne:"Rose Bar."

DKNY nostalgia also worked on Chow and Osborne, influencing their design direction which integrated their own streetwear sensibilities.

As designers, what do you have in common with Donna Karan? Osborne:"[A desire] to create an aspirational and practical wardrobe for the modern-day woman."

For their first collection, the designers revisited the label's iconic pinstripe suit. Introducing some whimsy by way of splicing differently striped fabrics or novel textures like a pinstriped merino sweater, Chow and Osborne confirmed their risk-taking intentions. Pleated skirts are deconstructed, exposing folds and stitches. Hems bear gaps like unintentional slits. The results are no less professional than the power separates of the '90s- and aughts-era DKNY, but are seemingly better suited to a career creative than a financial trader.

How does street wear influence your work wear designs for DKNY? Chow: "It's all about creating a system of dress that gets you through any and every situation. It's also about creating things that have a voice that relate to women and men alike."

"We tried to take the concept of what Donna did-how she revolutionized the way women dress specifically for work, and turning it on its head," says Chow. "Obviously, people in general work differently now than they did back in the '80s, and it was more about how the world has changed around this woman than how the woman has changed to fit into the world. So for us, it was really about taking those iconic ideas of a power suit, of power dressing, and paring it down with a classic, clean, white tee shirt-keeping the power in it, but stripped of the context, making it easy and versatile."

How do you source music for your runway soundtracks? Osborne: "We always want to create something new: a hybrid of what the sound is now and something that ties back to the theme of the show. We're fortunate enough to be able to work with musicians like Twin Shadow to score something completely original for our shows."

In addition to the partial hems, Chow and Osborne introduced a half-kilt style that could be layered over dresses, skirts and shirts. These playful inserts and additions serve to give workwear a personality while maintaining the ease of a kind of urban uniform.

Image: Indigital

"Those subtle and strategic cutouts represent the idea of missing pieces that will eventually get built. We looked at iconic shapes, and iconic textiles, and really combined those things all together and turned them on their heads," says Chow. "There's a new sense of attitude and spirit in this woman." This woman dresses appropriately but doesn't leave her identity at home when shuffling off to the office.

SHOP: DKNY clothing

Asked what interested them about taking over at DKNY, the two clearly expressed the label's urban orientation. "It was New York. No other brands can say that they own New York, but DKNY was quintessentially the perfect New York brand," says Chow. "We couldn't pass on that opportunity to be able to affect a brand we grew up with that shaped so much of our childhood."

"New York has been able to provide the most diverse background for us to witness real people and real lifestyles," says Chow. "We've also been inspired by this sort of lawlessness in New York City-the idea that if you have the drive and determination and the thought, then the infrastructure of the city will allow you to really move around and do anything you want, go anywhere you want. There are no boundaries here in New York."

A playful regard for the label's legacy and Gotham connection carried over into Chow and Osborne's Fall 2016 collection, where they riffed on DKNY's branding and use of its logo. Designs bore bracketed statements to "insert logo here." Sweatshirts played off the DKNY acronym with apothegms like "Designers Know Nothing Yet;" these shirts were often spotted on off-duty models at New York Fashion Week.

"We had been playing around with the idea of logos and how ubiquitous they've become," says Osborne. "We were poking fun at it all and obviously we have a huge history with using logos. So it was just a way to deconstruct it and put back together again, creating some new meanings for DKNY."

Creating newness around the established New York fashion label is a task Chow and Osborne are as ideally suited to as the pinstripe suit is to the workplace. And when that power suit is DKNY, well, now it's also a fun option for escaping into the urban jungle.

-Britt Olson