Jody Donohue, founder of Jody Donohue Associates, a public relations agency specializing in fashion, beauty and lifestyle, died at home on Thursday, April 20, 2017.
Her agency was one of the most recognized and successful firms serving clients in New York, Paris, Milan and Tokyo with clients that included many of the world’s top fashion names—Givenchy, Ferragamo, Krizia, Celine, Escada and mass marketers such as Gap, Swatch, Speedo and Spiegel. She also represented celebrities such as Eva Gabor, one of her first clients. Ms. Donohue’s most recent accomplishment showcased international fashion icon and beauty Jacqueline de Ribes and her stunning exhibit that drew record crowds at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in 2015. The Countess de Ribes was so enchanted with Jody Donohue’s charm and intellect that she refers to her as “my American Mama,” survivors said. She was author of “Your Career in Public Relations” and as she stated in that book, “True success is firmly founded upon honesty, creativity, hard facts and hard effort.” She taught publicity at FIT and served two terms on the board of directors of The Fashion Group of New York.
Born in Appleton, Wisconsin, she received a journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin and did graduate work at Columbia. She split her time between New York and Southampton. In Southampton, she served as executive vice president of The Southampton Association and was a member of the Meadow Club and Southampton Bathing Corporation.
She was predeceased by a brother, Kimo; and a sister, Sunny. She is survived by a cousin, John O’Boyle and wife Christina and their two children, Kahly and Michael, who is Jody’s godson; plus a multitude of friends.
A memorial service will take place at a later date.
on Apr 24, 2017