For over 35 years, Diane von Furstenberg has been setting trends that have changed the fashion landscape. From commoner to princess by 22 (through her first marriage, to Prince Egon von Furstenberg), to Studio 54 luminary, she’s one of pop culture’s original influencers. Born in Belgium, von Furstenberg moved to America in 1970, and in 1974, made her mark in the fashion world with her iconic wrap dress. Today, she continues to influence fashion as chair of the label she founded, Diane von Furstenberg, and as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America. If anyone is an expert on the ups and downs of the trend cycle, it’s DVF.
There seemed to be a nomad quality to your spring collection. “There is always a nomad quality to all of my collections. Spring was called ‘Oasis,’ but the inspiration was taken from Pre-Raphaelite paintings that looked to antiquity for inspiration. The fabrics are very fluid, very liquid. The colours are very much sunset colours, and there are a lot of knits and a lot of macramé.”
You’ve been surrounded by people with great influence on pop culture. Did any of the greats, like Andy Warhol, have an effect on you? “Everybody wants to know about Andy Warhol! Andy Warhol was really a voyeur, you know. He was somebody who was taking pictures and taping you, but Andy Warhol understood our time better than anyone. He understood branding before anyone really knew what branding was.”
Did you know that this group you were involved with was going to set trends that would change pop culture forever?
“You don’t think like that—you just do your thing. It’s like, you can’t tell history while you’re living it. It’s only when you look back, and even then you don’t say, ‘Oh, look at what I have done.’ You just live it.”
At the time, did you have any idea of the impact your wrap dress would have on the fashion world? “I don’t know—you don’t know. You don’t sit and analyze it. I mean, did I know that this wrap dress would last for so long? No, those are not things that you decide, it’s the public that decides it.”
Let’s talk about the idea of trends. Does the fashion world need them to successfully create change? “That’s the mystery of fashion—those things you don’t know. Why, all of a sudden, everybody thinks yellow; why, all of a sudden, all young kids wear combat boots. It’s not always the designers that make the trends. Designers interpret the trends. The trends come from the streets, the mood comes from the streets, and that’s why fashion is a reflection of our time. It’s a very mysterious thing. Even if you made nothing new and there were no more designers designing, there would still be fashion, and there would still be trends.”
Are there any current trends in fashion that you are gravitating toward? “Freedom—the trend of freedom through colour and prints. Colour is very good for me; I’m riding that wave right now. What I do is always right on trend. I am the most colourful of them all. Imagine a garden in black and white!”
Do trends have the power to liberate women? The creation of the wrap dress could arguably be described as a liberating moment for women of that time. “And it still does [liberate women].”
Are there any trends unfolding that you believe can help change things for women for the better? “Well, I don’t think the shoes that we are doing right now are liberating women — they’re breaking our legs!”
How would your closest friends describe you? “Oh, I don’t know. That I am generous, and that I take time for them.”
What would they say your biggest downfall is? “I don’t know. I have no downfall!”
First published in FASHION Magazine March 2010
related features
Latest Blog Posts
Most Popular
Contests
Comment on this article
Editor's note: This is a moderated forum, so your comments won't appear until approved by the moderator. Please help us foster a friendly environment by keeping your posts civil and on-point. We reserve the right to delete comments that include foul language, personal attacks on others, sales solicitations or any other inappropriate content. Posted comments reflect the opinions of the poster, not of Fashionmagazine.com. Read our privacy policy for more information.
Your comment