Diane von Furstenberg first entered the fashion world in 1970 with a suitcase full of jersey dresses. Four years later, she created the wrap dress, which came to symbolize power and independence for an entire generation of women. By 1976, she had sold over a million of the dresses and was featured on the cover of Newsweek. In 1997, after a hiatus from fashion, Diane re-launched the iconic dress that started it all, reestablishing her company as the global luxury lifestyle brand that it is today. DVF has expanded to a full collection of ready-to-wear clothing and accessories that include: shoes, handbags, small leather goods, scarves, and jewelry. The company also offers luggage, eye wear, and home furnishings. DVF is now sold in over 55 countries, including 132 DVF owned and partner stores throughout North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. In 2005, Furstenberg received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America for her impact on fashion, and one year later was elected the CFDA's President. In this significant role, she has dedicated herself to fostering emerging talent and helping to establish the Design Piracy Prohibition Act, which protects designers from counterfeit reproductions of their work. In 2015, Furstenberg was named Chairman of the CFDA. Furstenberg's commitment to empowering women is expressed not only through fashion, but also through philanthropy and mentorship. She sits on the board of Vital Voices, a non-governmental organization that supports female leaders and entrepreneurs around the world. In 2010, with the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, Furstenberg established the DVF Awards to honor and provide grants to women who have displayed leadership, strength, and courage in their commitment to their causes. In 2012, Forbes magazine named Furstenberg the "Most Powerful Woman in Fashion." In 2014, Furstenberg published a memoir, The Woman I Wanted to Be. In 2015, she was named one of TIME Magazine's 100 Most Influential People. With her corporate headquarters in New York's Meatpacking District, Furstenberg has long been a vocal member of the local community and was actively involved in the campaign to save the historic High Line railway and to develop The High Line Park into what it is today. She also serves on the board of Culture Shed, the new center for artistic and cultural innovation in New York City. Furstenberg is married to Barry Diller. She has two children, Alexander and Tatiana, and four grandchildren. With all of her successes, Furstenberg happily maintains that "My children are my greatest creation."
When a woman becomes her own best friend life is easier.
The most important relationship in your life is the relationship you have with yourself. Because no matter what happens, you will always be with yourself.
Now is the time to become a myth.
Character. Intelligence. Strength. Style. That makes beauty.
I’ve never met a woman who is not strong, but sometimes they don’t let it out. Then there’s a tragedy, and then all of a sudden that strength comes. My message is let the strength come out before the tragedy.
I find great happiness in my relationships with old friends, living mirrors that reflect histories of laughter and sorrow, triumphs and failures, births and deaths, on both sides.
Attitude is everything.
Life is a risk.
Life is a risk.
All women are the same, really: They are strong, but they are afraid of their own strength.
I wanted to be an independent woman, a woman who could pay for her bills, a woman who could run her own life - and I became that woman.
Italy will always have the best food.
Insecurity is a waste of time.
My best friend is me, and I take good care of me.
I travel light. I think the most important thing is to be in a good mood and enjoy life, wherever you are.
I travel in so many different ways; I travel high, I rough it. . . it all depends on who I travel with.
I design for the woman who loves being a woman.
A challenging economy is always good for design. It unites necessity and functionality. You are forced to be creative with poor materials.
My favorite days are the ones where I deal only with my own team, design, marketing, working on the next accessories collection.
Usually, the fairy tale ends with the girl marrying the prince. But mine started as soon as the marriage was over.
Marriage was never a destination with me.
Clarity is the most important thing. I can compare clarity to pruning in gardening. You know, you need to be clear. If you are not clear, nothing is going to happen. You have to be clear. Then you have to be confident about your vision. And after that, you just have to put a lot of work in.
Beauty is perfect in its imperfections, so you just have to go with the imperfections. .
