Diane von Fürstenberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diane von Fürstenberg
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von Fürstenberg in 2012
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Diane Simone Michele Halfin
31 December 1946 Brussels, Belgium
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| Occupation | Fashion designer |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | Alexander Tatiana |
| Alma mater | University of Geneva |
Diane von Fürstenberg (born Diane Simone Michele Halfin; 31 December 1946) is a famous Belgian fashion designer. She is best known for creating the wrap dress. She became well-known in 1969 when she married Prince Egon von Fürstenberg. Even after their divorce in 1983, she continued to use his family name.
Her fashion company, Diane von Furstenberg (DvF), sells clothes in over 70 countries. It has 45 stores around the world. The main office and biggest store are in Manhattan's Meatpacking District.
Diane von Fürstenberg was the leader of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) from 2006 to 2019. In 2014, Forbes magazine named her one of the most powerful women in the world. Time magazine also included her in its "Time 100" list in 2015. In 2016, she received an honorary degree from the New School. She was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2019.
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Early Life and Education
Diane Simone Michele Halfin was born in Brussels, Belgium. Her parents were Jewish. Her father, Leon Halfin, moved to Belgium in 1929. He later found safety from the Nazis in Switzerland. Her mother, Liliane Nahmias, was from Thessaloniki, Greece. She was a Holocaust survivor. Liliane was captured by the Nazis while helping the Resistance in World War II. She was held in Auschwitz and Ravensbrück. She was freed 18 months before Diane was born. Doctors had told her mother it was dangerous to have children. Diane often talks about her mother's strength. She says her mother taught her that "fear is not an option."
Diane went to a boarding school in Oxfordshire, England. She studied at Complutense University of Madrid before going to the University of Geneva. There, she studied economics. Later, she moved to Paris and worked for a fashion photographer. She then went to Italy to learn about textiles from Angelo Ferretti. This is where she learned about cutting, colors, and fabrics. She also designed her first silk jersey dresses there.
Fashion Career and Brand Success
A year after getting married, Diane started designing women's clothes. She wanted to build her own career. After moving to New York, she met Diana Vreeland, a famous editor at Vogue. Vreeland loved Diane's designs. Diane's name was added to the fashion calendar for New York Fashion Week. This is how her fashion business began.
The Iconic Wrap Dress
In 1974, Diane introduced the knitted jersey "wrap dress". This dress became a very famous piece in women's fashion. It is even part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Soon after it launched, 25,000 wrap dresses were sold each week. By 1976, one million dresses had been sold. After this huge success, Diane von Fürstenberg was on the cover of Newsweek magazine in 1976. The article called her "the most marketable woman since Coco Chanel." She also started a makeup line and a perfume called "Tatiana," named after her daughter. By 1979, her company's yearly sales were $150 million.
Relaunching the Brand
In 1985, von Fürstenberg moved to Paris. She started a French publishing company called Salvy. She also began other businesses, including a home-shopping business in 1991. In 1992, she sold $1.2 million of her Silk Assets collection on QVC in just two hours. She said this success gave her the confidence to restart her main company.
Fürstenberg relaunched her fashion company in 1997. She brought back the wrap dress, and it became popular with a new generation of women. In 1998, she published her business book, Diane: A Signature Life. In 2004, she launched a jewelry collection with H. Stern. She also started selling scarves and beachwear. In 2006, she became the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. She held this position until 2019. In 2008, she received a star on Seventh Avenue's Fashion Walk of Fame.
In 2009, Michelle Obama wore a DVF wrap dress on the official White House Christmas card. That same year, a big exhibition called "Diane von Furstenberg: Journey of a Dress" opened in Moscow. It later traveled to São Paulo and Beijing.
In 2010, von Furstenberg received a gold medal at the annual Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Gala. In 2011, DVF launched a home collection and a new perfume called Diane. In 2012, von Fürstenberg created her first children's collection with GapKids. She also worked with Current/Elliott on a denim collection.
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Many celebrities have worn her clothes. These include Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Beckinsale, Madonna, Jessica Alba, and Jennifer Lopez. Google Glass was first shown at New York Fashion Week during her Spring 2013 fashion show.
In 2014, Diane joined the Ban Bossy campaign. This campaign encourages girls to take on leadership roles. She also released her second book, The Women I Wanted to Be. This book shared details about her personal life.
In 2018, the DVF brand stopped using mohair. They also banned all fur, angora, and exotic skins from future collections. In 2020, DVF closed most of its stores in the United States. In 2025, Fürstenberg received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Philanthropy and Leadership
Fürstenberg is a leader of the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation. This foundation helps non-profit groups. It supports community building, education, human rights, arts, health, and the environment. In 2010, the foundation started The DVF Awards. These awards are given each year to four women who show leadership, strength, and courage in helping women's causes. In 2011, the foundation gave $20 million to the High Line park in New York City.
In 2006, she became President of The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA). She had won the Andre Leon Talley Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
Fürstenberg is on the board of Vital Voices. This group helps women leaders. She also helped New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg review the future of the city's fashion industry. In 2016, Fürstenberg designed shirts for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
In 2019, Fürstenberg started the #InCharge podcast on Spotify. The goal of the podcast is to empower women. Guests on her podcast have included Kris Jenner, Karlie Kloss, and Priyanka Chopra.
Personal Life
When she was 18, Diane met Prince Egon von Fürstenberg at university. He was a German prince. They married in 1969. They had two children, Alexander and Tatiana. Diane is a grandmother of five children, including Talita von Fürstenberg.
Diane and Egon separated in 1972 and divorced in 1983. In 2001, she married American media leader Barry Diller.
On 28 February 2020, von Fürstenberg received the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. This is a very high award from France. She received it for her work in fashion, women's leadership, and charity.
Details about her family history were shown on the PBS series Finding Your Roots in 2020. Fürstenberg owns a large yacht called Eos with her husband. She enjoys swimming in the sea and hiking. She is known for being a very light packer when she travels.
Images for kids
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von Fürstenberg in 2012
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Von Fürstenberg at the 2008 New York Fashion Week
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First Lady Michelle Obama wearing a Diane von Fürstenberg wrap dress
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A dress von Fürstenberg designed in the 1970s was part of an exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Von Fürstenberg with her second husband Barry Diller at the 2009 Metropolitan Opera premiere
See also
In Spanish: Diane von Fürstenberg para niños
