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 they separated, she continued to use his family name.
Her fashion company, Diane von Furstenberg (DvF), sells clothes in over 70 countries. It has 45 shops around the world. The main office and biggest store are in Manhattan's Meatpacking District in New York City.
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. In 2015, Time magazine included her in their "Time 100" list as an icon. She received an honorary degree in 2016. In 2019, she was honored in the National Women's Hall of Fame.
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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. Her mother, Liliane Nahmias, was from Greece. Liliane was a survivor of the Holocaust. She was part of the Resistance during World War II. Diane's mother taught her that "fear is not an option." This lesson greatly influenced Diane's life.
Diane went to a boarding school in Oxfordshire, England. She studied at Madrid University. Later, she went to the University of Geneva to study economics. After that, she moved to Paris. There, she worked as an assistant for a fashion photographer. She then went to Italy to learn about textiles. She worked with a fabric maker named Angelo Ferretti. This is where she learned about cutting, colors, and fabrics. She designed her first silk jersey dresses there.
Starting Her Fashion Career
A year after getting married, Diane von Fürstenberg 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 magazine. Diana Vreeland loved Diane's designs. This helped Diane get her name on the calendar for New York Fashion Week. This is how her fashion business began.
In 1974, Diane created the knitted jersey "wrap dress". This dress became very famous and is now an iconic piece in fashion history. It is even part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Soon after it launched, 25,000 wrap dresses were sold every week. By 1976, one million dresses had been sold. This success led to Diane von Fürstenberg being featured on the cover of Newsweek magazine. The article called her "the most marketable woman since Coco Chanel." She also launched a makeup line and a perfume called "Tatiana," named after her daughter. By 1979, her company's yearly sales were $150 million.
Growing Her Brand
In 1985, Diane von Fürstenberg moved to Paris. She started a French publishing company there. She also launched other businesses, including more cosmetics and a home-shopping business in 1991. In 1992, she sold $1.2 million worth of her Silk Assets collection in just two hours on QVC. This success gave her the confidence to restart her main fashion company.
Fürstenberg relaunched her 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 memoir, 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 New York City.
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 then traveled to São Paulo in 2010 and Beijing in 2011.
In 2010, von Furstenberg received a gold medal at the Queen Sofía Spanish Institute Gala. In 2011, DVF launched a home collection and a new perfume called Diane. In 2012, she created her first children's clothing line with GapKids. She also worked with Current/Elliott on a denim collection.
Many famous people have worn her clothes. These include Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Obama, and Jennifer Lopez. In 2014, Diane joined the Ban Bossy campaign. This campaign encourages girls to take on leadership roles. She also released her second memoir, The Women I Wanted to Be.
Between 2017 and 2019, the DVF brand faced financial challenges. By 2020, DVF closed most of its American stores. In 2025, Fürstenberg received the Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Helping Others (Philanthropy)
Diane von Fürstenberg is a director of the Diller – von Furstenberg Family Foundation. This foundation helps non-profit groups with 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, a famous park in New York City.
She is also on the board of Vital Voices, an organization that supports women leaders. In 2019, Fürstenberg launched the #InCharge podcast on Spotify. The podcast aims to empower women. Guests on her podcast have included Kris Jenner and Priyanka Chopra.
Personal Life
Diane met Prince Egon von Fürstenberg when she was 18 years old at university. They married in 1969. They had two children, Alexander and Tatiana. Diane is a grandmother to five children.
In 2001, she married American media leader Barry Diller.
On 28 February 2020, Diane von Fürstenberg received the Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur award. This is a very high honor in France. She received it for her work in fashion, women's leadership, and charity.
Diane von Fürstenberg owns a large yacht called Eos with her husband. She is known for swimming in the sea every morning for two hours. She also enjoys hiking in the afternoons. She has traveled all over the world.
Images for kids
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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 the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.
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Von Fürstenberg with her second husband Barry Diller at the 2009 Metropolitan Opera premiere
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See also
In Spanish: Diane von Fürstenberg para niños
