Diane von Fürstenberg | |
|---|---|
 von Fürstenberg in 2012 | |
| Born | Diane Simone Michele Halfin[1] (1946-12-31)31 December 1946 (age 79) Brussels, Belgium |
| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Spouses | |
| Children | Alexander Tatiana |
| Alma mater | University of Geneva |
| Website | www |
Diane von Fürstenberg (bornDiane Simone Michele Halfin; 31 December 1946)[2] is aBelgianfashion designer best known for herwrap dress.[3][4][5][6] She initially rose to prominence in 1969 when she married into the German princelyHouse of Fürstenberg, as the wife ofPrince Egon von Fürstenberg. Following their separation in 1972 and divorce in 1983, she has continued to use his family name.
Her fashion company, Diane von Furstenberg (DvF),[7] is available in over 70countries and 45 free-standing shops worldwide,[8] with the company's headquarters andflagship boutique located inManhattan's Meatpacking District.[9]
She is the past chairwoman of theCouncil of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), a position she held from 2006 to 2019;[4] in 2014 was listed as the 68th most powerful woman in the world byForbes;[10] and in 2015 was included in theTime 100, as an icon, byTime magazine.[11] In 2016, she was awarded an honorary doctorate fromthe New School.[12] In 2019, she was inducted into theNational Women's Hall of Fame.[13]
Diane Simone Michele Halfin was born inBrussels,Belgium, toJewish parents.[14] Her father,Bessarabian-born Leon (Lipa) Halfin, migrated to Belgium in 1929 fromChişinău,Kingdom of Romania (later Moldova) and later sought refuge from the Nazis inSwitzerland.[15][1] Her mother wasGreek-born Liliane Nahmias, fromThessaloniki, aHolocaust survivor, who was captured by the Nazis while she was a member of theResistance during World War II.[16][17][1] Nahmias was taken toAuschwitz, then transferred toRavensbrück, where she was liberated 20 months before Fürstenburg's birth. Weighing only 49 pounds, her mother was told by doctors that she should not have children, that she could die in childbirth, and that her baby would not be normal.[18] Fürstenberg has spoken broadly about her mother's influence in her life, crediting her with teaching her that "fear is not an option."[19]
Fürstenberg attended a boarding school inOxfordshire.[20] She studied atComplutense University of Madrid before transferring to theUniversity of Geneva to studyeconomics.[21] She then moved to Paris and worked as an assistant tofashion photographer's agent Albert Koski.[4] She left Paris for Italy to apprentice with the textile manufacturer Angelo Ferretti in his factory, where she learned about cut, color and fabric.[4] It was here that she designed and produced her first silk jersey dresses.
A year after marrying, Fürstenberg began designing women's clothes: "The minute I knew I was about to be Egon's wife, I decided to have a career. I wanted to be someone of my own, and not just a plain little girl who got married beyond her desserts."[22] In her 2024 documentary, Fürstenberg stated that she sought to upstage her then in-laws, who were acknowledged to have disapproved of her Jewish background and, despite attending Diane and Egon's wedding ceremony, opted to boycott their wedding reception.[23][24] After the Fürstenbergs separated in 1973, Egon also became a fashion designer.[25][26] After moving to New York, she met high-profileVogue editorDiana Vreeland, who declared her designs "absolutely smashing". She had her name listed on the fashion calendar forNew York Fashion Week, and so her business was created.[4] She moved into anestate inConnecticut she named Cloudwalk, and has lived there since.[27]
In 1974, she introduced the knittedjersey "wrap dress", which became an iconic piece in women's fashion; it is included in the collection of the Costume Institute of theMetropolitan Museum of Art.[3][7][28][29] Von Fürstenberg opted to first advertise the wrap dress in Women’s Wear Daily in 1974, and included the tag line: “Feel like a woman, wear a dress!”[30] Soon after the launch, 25,000 dresses were selling each week; one million dresses had been sold by 1976, according toForbes. Tailored during the 1970swomen's liberation era, the wrap dress also managed to embody the shifting roles of women in society at the time and was regarded as a dress for a "woman in charge."[31][32][33][23] After the success of the wrap dress, von Fürstenberg was featured on the cover ofNewsweek magazine in 1976.[34][35][23] The accompanying article declared her "the most marketable woman sinceCoco Chanel."[36] She launched a cosmetic line and her first fragrance, "Tatiana", named after her daughter.[36]The New York Times reported that by 1979 the annual retail sales for the company were $150 million (equivalent to $650 million in 2024).[4]
Her fortunes would take a hit in the early 1980s.[23] In 1985, von Fürstenberg moved toParis, where she founded Salvy, a French-language publishing house.[4] She started a number of other businesses, including a line of cosmetics and a home-shopping business, which she launched in 1991. In 1992, von Fürstenberg sold $1.2 million (equivalent to $2.7 million in 2024) of her Silk Assets collection in two hours onQVC.[36] She credits the success with giving her the confidence to relaunch her company.[23]
Fürstenberg relaunched her company in 1997, and reintroduced the wrap dress, which gained popularity with a new generation of women. Initially, the relaunch was a failure but, with the appointment of Paula Sutter as president of the brand, it was seemingly restored to its heyday of the mid-seventies. In 1998, she published her business memoir,Diane: A Signature Life.[4] In 2004, she introduced the DVF by H. Stern fine jewelry collection, and launched scarves and beachwear. In 2006, she was elected president of theCouncil of Fashion Designers of America, a position she held until 2019. In 2008, she received a star on Seventh Avenue's Fashion Walk of Fame.[4]
In 2009,Michelle Obama wore the DVF signature "Chain Link" print wrap dress on the official White House Christmas card.[37] That same year, a large-scale retrospective exhibition entitled "Diane von Furstenberg: Journey of a Dress" opened at theManezh, one of Moscow's largest public exhibition spaces. Curated byAndre Leon Talley, it attracted media attention. In 2010, the exhibition traveled toSão Paulo; and in 2011, to thePace Gallery inBeijing.[38]
In 2010, von Furstenberg was awarded a gold medal at the annualQueen Sofía Spanish Institute Gold Medal Gala.[39] In 2011, DVF introduced a home collection, and a signature fragrance, Diane.[40]
In 2012, von Fürstenberg launched her first children's collection with GapKids[41] and a denim collaboration with Current/Elliott.[42]
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Her clothes have been worn by celebrities includingCatherine, Duchess of Cambridge,Gwyneth Paltrow,Kate Beckinsale,Madonna,Tina Brown,Jessica Alba,Susan Sarandon,Priyanka Chopra,Jennifer Lopez andWhitney Houston.[43]Google Glass made its New York Fashion Week debut at the designer's Spring 2013 fashion show.[44]
In 2014, the designer joined theBan Bossy campaign as a spokesperson advocating leadership roles for girls.[45][46][47] She also released her second memoir, The Women I Wanted to Be, an autobiography which delved into her personal life and upbringing.
Between 2017 and 2019, the DVF brandlost nearly $80 million, leading to an eventual 75% of the workforce made redundant in the U.S in May 2020. By 2018, sales, which had been $300 million before the 2008 recession, were down to $150 million.[48]
In 2018, the brand bannedmohair use after aPETA exposé showed workers mutilating and killing goats to obtain it.[49] All fur, angora and exotic skins were also banned from future collections.[50]
In 2020, DVF closed 18 of its 19 American stores.[51][better source needed] That same year, the company's UK division enteredadministration due to restrictions caused by theCOVID-19 pandemic.[52]
In 2024, she released her documentary,Diane von Fürstenberg: Woman in Charge.[23][33][30]
AtDavos in 2025, Fürstenberg was the recipient of the 2025World Economic Forum Crystal Award.[53]
Fürstenberg is a director of the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation, which provides support to nonprofit organizations in the areas of community building, education, human rights, arts, health and the environment.[54] In 2010, the foundation createdThe DVF Awards, presented annually to four women who display leadership, strength and courage in their commitment to women's causes.[55] In 2011, the foundation made a $20 million commitment to theHigh Line.[56]
In 2006, she was elected President of The Council of Fashion Designers of America, (CFDA), after winning the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.[citation needed]
Fürstenberg sits on the board ofVital Voices, a women's leadership organization,[57] and served as one of the project chairs for New York City MayorMichael Bloomberg's review of the future of NYC's Fashion industry, prepared byNew York City Economic Development Corporation.[58]
In 2016, Fürstenberg designed shirts forHillary Clinton'spresidential campaign.[59][60]
In 2019, Fürstenberg launched the#InChargepodcast, onSpotify, with the goal of empowerment for women. Podcast guests includeKris Jenner,Elaine Welteroth,Karlie Kloss,Priyanka Chopra,Martine Rothblatt,Teo Wan Lin,[61] among others.[62]
In 2014,Ovation TV featuredThe Fashion Fund, a documentary about the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund competition. Fürstenberg starred alongsideAnna Wintour in the program.[63]
In November 2014, theE! network started airing the first season of reality showHouse of DVF. Contestants on the show performed various tasks and challenges in the hopes of becoming a global brand ambassador for Fürstenberg.[64][65] In September 2015, it returned for a second (final) season.[66]
In 2024,Disney+ releasedDiane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge a feature-length biographical documentary of von Furstenberg's life and business. The documentary features interviews withOprah,Hillary Clinton,Marc Jacobs and other notable artists and designers. The documentary received positive reviews.[67][68]
At university, when she was 18, she metPrince Egon von Fürstenberg, the elder son of Prince Tassilo zuFürstenberg, a German Roman Catholic prince, and his first wife,Clara Agnelli, an heiress to theFiat automotive fortune and member of theItalian nobility. Married in 1969,[29] the couple had two children,Alexander[22] andTatiana. She is grandmother of five, includingTalita von Fürstenberg.
The von Fürstenbergs' marriage, although unpopular with the groom's family because of her Jewish ethnicity, was considered dynastic, and on her marriage she became 'Her Serene Highness Princess Diane of Fürstenberg'.[69] She lost any claim to the title following their separation in 1972 and divorce in 1983.[70][71]
In 2001, she married American media mogulBarry Diller.[22]
In 2009, Fürstenberg signed a petition in support of film directorRoman Polanski, calling for his release after Polanski was arrested in Switzerland in relation to his1977 sexual abuse case.[72]
On 28 February 2020, von Fürstenberg was made a Chevalier de laLégion d'honneur for her contributions to fashion, women's leadership, and philanthropy. She was presented the award byChristine Lagarde, president of theEuropean Central Bank, in a ceremony at theMinistry of Europe and Foreign Affairs headquarters on theQuai d'Orsay.[73]
Details of her ancestry were included in the episode "Fashion's Roots" (season 6, 13 October 2020), of thePBS seriesFinding Your Roots.[74]
Fürstenberg owns thesuper-yachtEos with her husband. It features afigurehead of von Fürstenberg sculpted by artistAnh Duong.[75] She reportedly swims in the sea every morning for two hours, and hikes in the afternoons. She has travelled the world and claims to be "the world's lightest packer and always ready to go".[76]
The DVF Awards were founded in 2010
