Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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SECTION II
THE WRAP IS 40
Viva
DVF!
Diane von Furstenberg marks four
decades of celebrating the dress,
feminine power and style.
EMBRACING TECH
ALL ABOUT
THE BUSINESS
ON THE DIVAN
WITH DIANE
THE ULTIMATE
LIFESTYLE
PHOTO BY JOHN BRIGHT
WWD MILESTONES
with Saks Fifth Avenue, rejuvenating room, studio, offices and an blogging site Sina
her business. She moves Diane von apartment for the designer. Tabletop, 2011. Weibo picks up 25,000
Furstenberg Studio to a renovated car- ■ First China store opens followers in its first
riage house in the Meatpacking District. in Shanghai. Others open few days.
■ Limited alum Susan Falk is named to in Saint-Tropez, Brussels,
the new post of president and chief ex- Moscow, Madrid and London. 2012
ecutive officer of Diane von Furstenberg Forbes names von
Studio; Catherine Malandrino joins as 2008 Furstenberg the most
1970 vice president of design. Second freestanding powerful woman in
Princess Diane von Furstenberg, mar- Japanese store opens in fashion.
ried to Prince Egon von Furstenberg of 1998 Tokyo’s trendy Roppongi area. ■ Joel Horowitz joins
Austria, arrives in the U.S. with jersey The designer writes her memoir, ■ First Las Vegas store as cochairman.
dresses she’d had made in Italy, and “Diane: A Signature Life.” opens at The Shoppes at ■ Yvan Mispelaere
the seeds of a fashion business. the Palazzo. departs.
1999 ■ Von Furstenberg becomes ■ DVF teams with
1974 Paula Sutter joins the company as a board member of Vital Gap on a GapKids col-
The wrap dress is born, putting Diane president, succeeding Susan Falk. Voices, a women’s leader- lection, and with Roxy
von Furstenberg in business. Her slo- ■ DVF is elected to the board of ship organization. on a one-time line of swimwear and
gan: “Feel like a woman, wear a dress.” the Council of Fashion Designers of ■ DVF pens “Be the Wonder Woman accessories called DVF Loves Roxy.
America. You Can Be, Featuring the Adventures ■ The firm unveils a new store format
1975 ■ The Diller-von Furstenberg Family of Diva, Viva & Fifa,” a DC comic de- at The Forum Shops at Caesars in Las
The von Furstenbergs separate. Foundation philanthropic organiza- signed to empower women, with illus- Vegas, with a focus on accessories.
■ DVF launches her first fragrance, tion is founded. trations by artist Konstantin Kakanias. ■ The spring 2013 runway features the
Tatiana. ■ DVF outfits all 85 contestants in ■ Von Furstenberg is honored with a launch of Google Glass.
vivid cocktail dresses for the opening plaque on Seventh Avenue’s Fashion
1976 number of the Miss Universe pageant. Walk of Fame. 2013
Selling more than one million wrap Paula Sutter departs.
dresses lands von Furstenberg on the 2000 2009 ■ Eran Cohen is named chief market-
cover of Newsweek. DVF.com relaunches. Marchon wins DVF’s eyewear license. ing officer, Robert J. Almerini joins as
■ DVF opens in the ION Orchard high- chief operating officer and Michelle
1979 2001 end mall in Singapore. Ryan is named to the new post of ex-
In-house cosmetics line is developed. DVF’s first freestanding shop opens on ■ With Vital Voices Global ecutive vice president of accessories.
DVF writes “Book of Beauty: How to West 12th Street in Manhattan. Partnership, DVF stages an accesso- ■ DVF throws her support behind the
Become a More Attractive, Confident ■ Nathan Jenden joins as creative ries competition to enable women in Hudson Yards project and its Culture
and Sensual Woman.” director. developing nations to advance their Shed as a potential future home for
■ Diane von Furstenberg Style for ■ The house introduces intimate apparel. businesses. New York Fashion Week.
Living Collection for Sears encom- ■ E-commerce is added to the Web site. ■ The brand’s fifth U.S. store opens at ■ A dedicated accessories shop opens
passes bedding, bath, curtains, dinner- ■ Von Furstenberg marries Barry Diller. the Shops at Bal Harbour in Florida. in the gallery space of DVF headquar-
ware, rugs and furniture. ters, paving the way for a big push in
2002 2010 the category.
1983 Von Furstenberg becomes an The Diller-von Furstenberg Family
DVF sells its cosmetics business to American citizen. Foundation establishes the DVF Awards 2014
British pharmaceutical giant Beecham ■ After a 20-year hiatus, DVF signs a to honor and provide grants to women for Fashion jewelry, home fabrics and
Group Ltd. worldwide licensing agreement with leadership and commitment to causes. trimmings with Kravet, as well as
■ The von Furstenbergs divorce. Inter Parfums for fragrance, cosmetics, ■ Yvan Mispelaere joins as creative DVF sun and optical frames made for
skin care and related beauty products director, succeeding Nathan Jenden. Google Glass, are introduced.
1984 under the Diane von Furstenberg, ■ Von Furstenberg taps the Radio City ■ Michael Herz is named artistic director.
Von Furstenberg sells her name and DVF, Diane von Furstenberg The Color Rockettes to perform at the Life Ball ■ Bellevue Square store in Seattle
licenses and moves to Paris, starting a Authority and Tatiana marks. A color and opens, two more shops are slated for
publishing house under the name Salvy. fragrance line would launch in 2003. Southern California and DVF signs
■ DVF receives a lifetime achievement on for a 2,000-square-foot space at
1990 award from the National Association of Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan.
DVF returns to the U.S. and starts the Women Business Owners. ■ “The Woman I Wanted to Be” mem-
process of buying back her name. oir is published.
2003 ■ DVF is tapped to receive the
1992 ■ DVF teams with Reebok’s RBK label Superstar Award at The Fashion Group
DVF begins appearing on QVC to sell on a line of tenniswear. International’s Night of Stars in the fall.
PHOTO BY JOAN GARVIN
Silk Assets, an exclusive line of print ■ DVF rugs launch through a partner- ■ The brand marks the 40th anniversa-
and solid separates. Sales during her ship with London-based The Rug Co. ry of the wrap with the exhibition and
first show are said to total $1.2 million ■ The company’s first shop in Europe Barry Diller, Mayor Michael Bloomberg online series for “Journey of a Dress”
in two hours. Her relaxed knitwear, opens in London’s Notting Hill, and a and von Furstenberg at the High Line and teams with E to launch “The DVF
called Casual Chic, also a QVC exclu- store opens in Coral Gables, Fla. groundbreaking in 2006. Project,” a competition reality show.
Amazon Fashion Congratulates
ICONIC STYLE
AND GLAMOUR.
Amazon.com Fashion
Smart is Beautiful.
4 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II
WWD MILESTONES
DVF’s Confidence Game Reflections on a career — and life — well-lived. By Jessica Iredale
FROM DAY ONE, Diane von Furstenberg. “So women’s causes, how it’s good and how it’s bad. But I Asked where that intuition comes
Furstenberg has been a journal- clearly, resonate to me. The first also became the woman I wanted to from, von Furstenberg replied,
ist’s delight, a ready-made gift from thing was to empower myself, but the be through fashion — and through “Because I care! I read. I’m read-
the press gods. And in the 40-plus minute I was empowered, it was to fashion, that was my way of giving it ing [“Capital in the Twenty-First
years since she arrived on American empower other women through my to other women. There’s so many mes- Century” by Thomas Piketty] be-
soil — as one half of a young, exotic work, selling confidence.” sages. The message is that it doesn’t cause I care about the distribution
European royal power couple, ready Her mantra of female celebration matter how successful you are, you of wealth. People don’t see it as a
to work hard, play hard — there has and power has always been the fiber can still be insecure. But at the same revolution. People pay no attention
been no dearth of copy devoted to — jersey aside — of her brand. “Feel time, the big message is, the most im- to what is going around in the world.
her story. It’s a fairy tale, really, ex- like a woman, wear a dress,” was the portant thing in life is the relation- I mean, I am engaged. Once you are a
cept the Belgian princess ends up directive she wrote to accompany ship you have with yourself. Because little bit successful, once you have a
as president — of American fash- her first wrap-dress campaign in if you have that, then any other rela- voice, you meet people.”
ion: three terms and counting at the 1972. That spirit remains dynamic tionship is a plus and not a must.” Von Furstenberg has always run
CFDA — and her (second) prince
charming is a bona fide media king.
Casual research yields an ava-
lanche of press clippings chroni-
cling four decades of DVF’s fabu-
lousness and fortitude: her 1969
marriage to Prince Egon von
Furstenberg, who gave her their two
children and her name; her sensa-
tional wrap dresses and her com-
pany’s resulting fortune. Newsweek!
Cloudwalk! Open marriage! Divorce!
Market oversaturation. Fashion
’’ today, which finds DVF in a reflec-
tive moment. “I’m at the autumn of
my life, which is nice because it’s
also my favorite season and the af-
ternoon is my favorite moment of the
day,” she said, sitting in the corner of
a massive purple couch in her pink
palace of an office on 14th Street.
“It’s a very good time to be, and
now…you know, I’m delusional. I am
67 years old. That is old.”
For all her fascinating history,
von Furstenberg is very much a crea-
ture of the now. “I was so lucky to be
young in the Seventies and enjoy the
Seventies and have fun at Studio 54
but be young enough to be part of
the digital revolution,” she says. “I
love the digital revolution. I love my
e-mail. I love the fact that I can intro-
duce to you somebody else without
ever speaking. It gives me so much
in an impressive circle. There were
Egon and Barry, of course, but a few
of the names that punch up the copy
of her book include Marisa Berenson,
Yves Saint Laurent, Bernardo
Bertolucci, Andy Warhol, Richard
Gere. The guest list at her July 4,
1976, party included Mike Nichols,
Candice Bergen, Louis Malle, Milos
Forman, Slim Keith and Claudette
Colbert. She’s bonded with Bruce
Springsteen over their love-hate
relationship with their curly hair.
irrelevance. A string of high-profile Deepak Chopra made a house call to
flings followed by a four-year lov-
ers’ retreat to Bali, then four years
I also became the woman I wanted Cloudwalk when von Furstenberg re-
ceived her cancer diagnosis.
playing the part of obedient Parisian Exposure like that is not only
homemaker. And then — poof! — to be through fashion — and good for networking and business
the epiphany that working, specifi- deals but also impacts one’s world
cally in fashion, was her identity. through fashion, that was my way view. What does a woman blessed
’’
Von Furstenberg made her reentry with the best of the best think of the
through the very un-glam back door
of QVC in 1992.
of giving it to other women. current global state of affairs?
“Truly, right now, I am very worried
Through the ups and downs, there about the world,” said von Furstenberg,
is a consistent figure: Barry Diller, — DIANE VON FURSTENBERG referring to the intolerance and ter-
DVF’s billionaire best friend, who rorism emanating from the Middle
she married in 2001, forming a union East. “I think it’s never been as
that, at the time, WWD described as Von Furstenberg is in legacy mode, flexibility. I have access to every- scary as it is right now for me in my
“a bit too Cole Porter for the under- positioning her company for the fu- thing. I can see, learn, everything at lifetime. Who would have thought
sophisticated.” Writers have rou- ture using the considerable flash of any time I want. I love that.” we would have religious wars now?
tinely described von Furstenberg as her past. In January, she staged her Two years ago, during a preview When I was young, there was none of
“feline” and a “catwoman” for her blowout retrospective wrap exhibi- of her spring collection with WWD, that. So, it’s a very scary moment.”
seductive purr. She always seems to tion, “Journey of a Dress,” in the for- DVF stopped the walk-through and Von Furstenberg is nothing if not a
land on her feet. mer May Department store space in said, “I want to introduce you to consummate optimist. Thus: “But what
Lest anyone wonder what could Los Angeles, the final leg of its inter- someone.” Enter Sergey Brin, doing I like about now is this new technol-
possibly be left to tell about this national tour, which included South his best to validate the Silicon Valley ogy,” she said. “Thank God. Imagine
woman’s life, in addition to this ar- America and China. Her latest mem- stereotype in shower sandals, gym if there were no digital revolution?
ticle and the entire, 40-page special oir, “The Woman I Wanted to Be,” fur- shorts and a thermal, a deer in head- All the wealth would be built on in-
section in WWD, von Furstenberg thers the brand’s endowment. lights in front of a clique of fashion vestment and real estate. It would be
has a new book out this month titled “I was so honest that I almost felt editors. After a round of introduc- so depressing. This new wealth and
“The Woman I Wanted to Be.” It’s like I’m at the gynecologist,” said tions, von Furstenberg said some- new ideas and all these people — it’s
the sixth she’s written about herself von Furstenberg. “I mean, I hold thing to the effect of “How does it so fun. They don’t really care about
and her lifestyle. Other DVF editions nothing back.” feel to shake a $10 billion hand?” money. They want to change the world.
include “Diane: A Signature Life,” Oh, yes, a journalist’s delight. She wouldn’t reveal what Brin was They want to conquer Mars, they want
“The Table,” “The Bath,” “Beds” Divided into chapters includ- doing in her studio, but, a few days to do all these things, and I think that’s
and “Diane von Furstenberg’s Book ing “Roots,” “Love Beauty,” “The later, Google Glass launched on her really exciting.”
of Beauty.” There’s also a forthcom- American Dream,” “The Comeback spring 2013 runway. Though Google She, too, is thinking ahead, particu-
ing biography called “Diane von Kid” and “The New Era,” the book Glass has yet to gain mainstream larly when it comes to her company. At
Furstenberg: Her Own Brilliant gets personal: losing her virginity; traction, it’s on its way courtesy of 67, she has a renewed business focus,
Invention” by Gioia Diliberto, which the first time she slept with Diller, von Furstenberg’s fashion eyewear investing in infrastructure so that
von Furstenberg mentioned on the when both were so nervous they collaboration earlier this year. DVF, the brand, can thrive once the
last Wednesday in July during a two- each took a Valium and fell asleep; Such a partnership is a testament woman herself is no longer involved.
hour window she allotted for WWD the first time she actually had sex to von Furstenberg’s instincts, her In October 2013, von Furstenberg’s
before sailing off on Eos, Diller’s 305- with Diller; her “girl crush” on Gia ability to see, since her first business then-president Paula Sutter left the
foot yacht, until September. Carangi; surviving cancer; her inse- venture, where the culture is going. company. Sutter began working with
It’s fair to say von Furstenberg curities about aging, and her many She was, after all, a princess selling DVF in 1999 and was instrumental in
would be the kind of girl girls love business impulses and misjudg- affordable dresses based on the de- building back the brand from scratch.
to hate if she weren’t a girl’s girl — ments. Anyone remember Diane, the sign of a bathrobe. She also shilled “We were Thelma and Louise,” said
PHOTO BY GEORGE CHINSEE
a woman’s woman, rather — down to store she opened on a whim in the Diane von Furstenberg Silk Assets, von Furstenberg, referring to the re-
her marrow. Sherry-Netherland hotel? her line of washable silk separates, launch with Sutter. “She was 31 and
“My mother always told me, ‘It’s “It’s my journey with my faults on QVC before home shopping was had just had a baby. She had so much
so important to be a woman.’ I so and my advances,” she said. “I real- a celebrity sure thing. (To be fair, energy, and it was so much fun. And it
much like to be a woman,” said von ize how crazily impulsive I am and Susan Lucci was there first.) {Continued on page 6}
WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014 5
WWD.COM
WWD MILESTONES
Confidence Four
Game Decades
{Continued from page 4}
was really a women’s company. We rode the wave
in a big way.”
They had a $200 million business. Von
Of DVF
Style
Furstenberg wanted a $2 billion business. In
2012, Joel Horowitz, the former partner of Tommy
Hilfiger, came on as cochair of DVF’s board. Since
then, they have made massive internal changes,
including the recent hire of Michael Herz as artis-
tic director. He comes from Bally and curated the The silhouettes,
“Journey of a Dress” exhibition.
“I really would love for Michael to be my the prints
Christopher Bailey,” said von Furstenberg. “Right and more,
now, my role in the company is to carve as deep
into the DNA as I possibly can so that the com-
here and
pany will be able to live after me. People say, why page 8.
do you always say that? Because I always think
that way. Everybody that comes to Cloudwalk, I
take them to show them where I’m going to be
’’
— DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
American Express would like to congratulate trusted friend, partner and visionary
Diane von Furstenberg on the 40-year journey of her timeless wrap dress.
WWD MILESTONES
Spring
1983
Spring
Fall 1982 Spring 1983 1989
PHOTOS BY THOMAS IANNACCONE, TONY PALMIERI, GIOVANNI GIANNONI, STEVE EICHNER, GEORGE CHINSEE, TALAYA CENTENO, DAVID TURNER AND KYLE ERICKSEN
Fall
1998
Spring
1999
Fall 2014
WWD MILESTONES
Twiggs
Fit to Print
JUST AS THE WRAP DRESS is synonymous with Diane von
Furstenberg, prints are synonymous with the wrap dress.
Cubes
Von Furstenberg’s textiles history predates her most famous sil-
houette. Working for Angelo Ferretti’s factory in Como, Italy, in the
late Sixties was her second gig in fashion, secured, in typical von
Furstenberg form, through her fabulous connections: She ran into
Ferretti while gallivanting in Capri with Marisa Berenson, then a
client of the fashion photographer Albert Koski, whom DVF was as-
sisting in Paris. She traded her photo apprenticeship for a manufac-
Chainlink turing one, accepting Ferretti’s invitation to come to his factories,
one specializing in prints, another in silk knits and cotton jersey.
Von Furstenberg owes a huge debt to her time with Ferretti,
from whom she learned many of the techniques she still uses
today. There are 15,000 prints in her archive, including what
she’s coined the Six Sisters: Twiggs, Cubes, Chainlink, Leopard,
Python and the graphic Signature. They formed the visual cor-
nerstone of her “Journey of a Dress” exhibition.
Asked what makes a good print, von Furstenberg said,
“Contrast. Movement is very important. You see, all my prints
move, so that when she wears them, a woman feels feline.”
— JESSICA IREDALE
SHEPHERD PHOTO BY PETER SIMINS; ADAMS BY FRANCOIS DUHAMEL/©COLUMBIA PICTURES/COURTESY EVERETT COLLECTION; RUNWAY BY GEORGE CHINSEE
Above: Spring 2010.
Right: Wraps from the Seventies.
Amy Adams in
“American Hustle,”
2013.
Cybill Shepherd
in “Taxi Driver,”
1976.
14 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II WWD.COM
Reality of the Wrap What made it right for the time. By Lorna Koski
’’
memory of the dress,” said Harold January.
Koda, curator in charge of the Costume
Institute at The Metropolitan Museum and brings the woman into focus. “It is fascinating to see the history and
influence one dress has had on multiple
of Art in New York. “In 1976, I was generations of women who embraced it
going to the ballet a lot, and I remem- — DIANE VON FURSTENBERG for many reasons, from its shape, to ease
ber sitting in the [Lincoln Center] plaza of wearing, from the Seventies to today,”
waiting, and noticing the number of Koda noted that, although European- be worn everywhere,” von Furstenberg said Michael Herz, artistic director at
women who were wearing that wrap born, von Furstenberg is “really in the said. “I had discovered this wonderful Diane von Furstenberg, who worked
dress in a small green print or a small tradition of pure American design.” jersey fabric that could be printed, and closely with his boss on the show.
black print. I think it had the kind of Valerie Steele, director of The I had started making a T-shirt dress, a When asked whether she had a
impact that the Armani suit had for Museum at FIT, said, “When Diane von shirtdress and a great tent dress, short sense, 40 years ago, that her design
men in the Eighties. Furstenberg appeared on the cover and long. I then designed a wrap top, would have the longevity that it has,
“I think it said a lot that she just had a of Newsweek wearing her now-iconic similar to the wrap sweaters balleri- von Furstenberg responded, “I had no
finger on the pulse of contemporary ideas wrap dress, it encapsulated a moment nas wore. I made it with a matching idea! Even when women everywhere
of womanhood,” he added. “It was just a in fashion history. Her slogan ‘Be a skirt. It sold really well, and I decided were buying them and they put me on
kind of protean item in one’s wardrobe.” Woman, Wear a Dress’ was perfect for to attach the top to a skirt and turn it the cover of Newsweek and The Wall
PHOTO BY JOHN SCIULLI
Koda compared the dress to Charles an era in which women were achieving into a dress. The wrap dress was born. Street Journal, I knew that it was a
James’ spiraling wrap taxi dress of the equality in the workplace and no lon- Because it had a collar and cuffs, it felt big deal at the time, but did I think I
Thirties and Claire McCardell’s shirt- ger wanted to look like imitation men. tailored, but because it was jersey, it would still be talking about that dress
dress in “very crisp cotton” of the Forties. The revival of the wrap dress in recent felt to be exactly what women wanted 40 years later? Certainly not.”
CONGRATULATES EVERYONE AT DVF
ON 40 YEARS OF THE WRAP DRESS!
16 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II WWD.COM
honor. But, at the last minute, By 1979, the brand had voice,” Dorsinville said.
the editors switched him out, reached about $150 million in “Diane says, ‘Repetition is
Cohen said, noting that it would annual retail sales, according to recognition.’ In fashion, things
be one of many covers the de- a story in The New York Times. move so fast, but a brand has
Diane von Furstenberg’s Newsweek cover, 1976, and the von Furstenbergs signer would nab. Interview Around this time, the designer to have some consistency.”
featured on the cover of Town & Country, 1972.
18 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II WWD.COM
WWD MILESTONES
JOEL HOROWITZ WAS on a golf course the product and no consistency in the
in Miami two years ago when he received advertising. That was the bad news.
a phone call from his friend Tommy The good news was that the stores and
Hilfiger. (Horowitz had been chairman the consumer had great affection for
and chief executive officer of Tommy the brand and wanted to see it win.”
Hilfiger Corp.) The designer had just had First and foremost, the top priority
lunch with Diane von Furstenberg, who was to get Diane von Furstenberg “back
wanted to meet Horowitz. in the driver’s seat.” Horowitz said
“Tommy had been trying to get me to she had walked away from design and
go back to work. We’ve looked at a lot brought in a European designer, Yvan
of deals over the years with Silas [Chou] Mispelaere from Gucci, “and gave him
and Lawrence [Stroll], and nothing was the keys to the house.”
that interesting to me,” said Horowitz, “It was a big mistake,” said
who retired from Hilfiger in 2005. Horowitz. “That was the main demand
Horowitz said he wasn’t interested I had when I said I would come back
in a “real fixer-upper,” taking a com- in. It would be only if she stepped back
pany and restructuring it through in to be the creative director of the
cutbacks. Nor was he interested in brand. She is the brand. She created it,
something that was really small and it’s expressed in everything she does.”
needed to be built from the ground up. In February, DVF hired Michael Herz
Von Furstenberg was looking to start as artistic director. Von Furstenberg
a board of advisers because she want- brought him on to consult on the exhibi-
ed to take DVF to the next level and tion marking the 40th anniversary of the
thought Horowitz might want to join. wrap dress. Herz curated it, and as part
“I came up to meet her and we hit it of putting together 200 wrap dresses, he
off right away. I got the brand immedi- created 40 new styles to complement 160
ately by seeing her office and how it fit historical wrap dresses.
her personality,” said Horowitz. “It was a great audition for Michael, to
Von Furstenberg, who had already see if he would be the next person to bring
built a personal legacy, talked to in as artistic director,” said Horowitz.
Horowitz about wanting to build a leg-
’’
Furstenberg, and they talked at length he arrived at the company, the category
about the type of business he would
want to build. They decided Horowitz
a woman who is confident, ageless. was treated as an accessory to the rtw.
It wasn’t set up as a freestanding unit
should put together a business plan to — JOEL HOROWITZ with a business head, creative people
present to the family to make sure they and sourcing people. Now it is its own
were on the same wavelength. division, with its own P&L. The head of
“We all agreed, and that’s why I’m said, noting that he wasn’t looking to plan, investing in retail stores, build- the division is Michelle Ryan, who has
here,” said the 63-year-old Horowitz. take a business from a couple of hun- ing a stand-alone accessory business been at DVF for a year and previously
Named DVF’s cochairman in dred million dollars to $300 million, and continuing to invest in our ready- worked at Jimmy Choo.
September 2012, Horowitz was hired $400 million or even $500 million. He to-wear business,” said Horowitz. Naturally, an ambition for the com-
to bring a level of professionalism to saw an opportunity to have distribution He added that the strategy calls for pany would be to develop an “It” bag
the company and prepare it for an all over the world. To achieve that, he them to more than double the business that would take off and be identifiable as
eventual public offering. He is often put several elements into the plan. in a five-year period, “which we’re well DVF. Asked if she is known for a particu-
credited with building Hilfiger into an “The company up until this point on our way to doing.” lar handbag, Horowitz said, “Not yet.”
international multichannel brand. He had been run purely as a family opera- When Horowitz arrived at DVF, there Opening more stores around the coun-
served as Hilfiger’s business partner tion. There was no major investment were 11 freestanding stores in the U.S. try is an immediate objective. DVF has
and ceo for 19 years, stepping down as made in the business. All the invest- Today, there are 21 open, and in the opened stores in Seattle, Las Vegas and
ceo in 2003 and then becoming execu- ment came from the natural flow of the next seven months, the company plans Scottsdale, Ariz., and will soon open in
tive chairman of the board that same business,” he said. “In today’s world, to open another 10 domestic stores. Aventura, Fla.; Miami’s Design District;
year, and non-executive chairman of that’s not going to get you very far.” But how does he know there’s enough Glendale and Santa Monica, Calif., and
the board in 2005. He retired on Oct. 31, His business plan called for building demand out there for the product? The Grove in Los Angeles. The three
2005, and in 2006, he, along with a man- a major retail network and an acces- In Horowitz’s opinion, one of the new L.A. stores will bring the total in
agement group and Apax Partners Inc., sories division within the company for best parts of the business is that in its California to five. There are already units
took Hilfiger private. It was eventually handbags and eventually footwear, and 40-year history, the brand has built up a on Melrose Avenue and at South Coast
sold to PVH Corp. in 2010 for $3 billion. developing a corporate infrastructure. lot of goodwill, not just in the U.S., but Plaza in Costa Mesa.
Horowitz said the reason he doesn’t Obviously, that would take a lot globally. When he joined the company, “I believe we can have 100 stores
join boards is that he considers himself a of money. it had a total of 55 stores globally. All of in the next five years,” said Horowitz.
hands-on executive: “I either have to be Horowitz met with the family and the international stores were done with Other stores will open throughout 2015
in or out. I’m not one of these people threw out a number based on his past ex- franchised partners, except for the ones at the Americana Manhasset in N.Y.
who could sit on three or four boards perience looking at many different com- the company owns in France. and in Atlanta and San Francisco.
and give you a 40,000-foot view of some- panies and designing business plans over “The demand for the brand was “We want to start moving into
PHOTO BY THOMAS IANNACCONE
thing. I need to be in the specifics of the years. He said the family put in their there. It was a matter of giving con- Chicago and Houston,” he added.
the business, or not at all.” share, and he put in his share. sumers what their expectations for the Horowitz has no big plans to expand
Horowitz developed a business plan “We’re now two years into the plan. brand were. And that, quite frankly, the brand’s wholesale base, but he does
for DVF that “was based on having the It was a six-year plan with a focus on was one of the issues when I got there,” want to build its business within stores
confidence that this brand could be building a corporate infrastructure Horowitz said. “The product had gone that already carry the line. Aimed at
the next multibillion-dollar brand,” he that could support the growth in the off brand. There was no consistency in {Continued on page 20}
1EVGLSR'SRKVEXYPEXIW(:*EWXLI]'IPIFVEXIĂþ]IEVWSJ8LI;VET(VIWW
©2014 DIANE VON FURSTENBERG STUDIO L.P. PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED EXCLUSIVELY BY MARCHON EYEWEAR, INC. STYLE DVF595S, COLOR 001 BLACK
20 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II WWD.COM
Paula Sutter “When I got there, it was a very small “It was really the beginning of what I “We had really exciting and talented
company. It wasn’t a situation where there think was affordable luxury,” she added. people come through our door.”
were levels of management. They had a “Contemporary was really an alterna- From the start, she said there was a
quite a few licensees. Diane was very pop- tive to designer, and that was what I lot of excitement surrounding DVF and
ular on Home Shopping Network. You had was so compelled by, and what I clearly the brand.
to unwind and start up again,” said Sutter. thought was the future.” “I think it had a different aesthetic. It
Her first priority was to restructure Von Furstenberg liked the idea, the had international appeal very early on,”
the business and edit the licensees before family thought it was a great idea, and she said. “It didn’t have an American
PHOTO BY DAN D'ERRICO
they could start to develop and grow. they moved forward in that direction, look, it didn’t have a European look. It
“It took a couple of years to work said Sutter. kind of had this global flair.”
through the past and work through the “We built the business from scratch, Asked what the highlights of her ten-
businesses that were developed at a dif- hiring new design and sales teams. ure were, Sutter replied, “There were so
ferent time,” she said. It was really the reinvention of a many — too many to mention.” But she
Sutter knew from Day One that she brand. It was the Windex-ing of a great did cite such developments as the open-
wanted to position DVF in the contem- brand,” she recalled. ing of DVF’s first store in Manhattan’s
x i ne
Ma
an d
T e a m
www.maxinemartens.com
22 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II WWD.COM
A Store Thing
Expanding the retail footprint on all fronts.
By Sharon Edelson
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG is going York, where von Furstenberg is set
after bricks and clicks. to open a store at Brookfield Place in
The designer, who is known for her lower Manhattan.
level of engagement and attention to “We looked at both projects,” Horowitz
detail, signs off on every location, from said, referring to the World Trade Center,
downtown Manhattan to Dubai. “and felt that the ready-to-wear consumer
The company has an aggressive would shop more in the Brookfield en-
growth plan to operate 100 stores in the vironment. The World Trade Center is
U.S. in the next five to six years, open going to be more of an impulse-buy con-
more international stores and roll out sumer. Brookfield Place is more of a local
a new prototype that puts accessories TriBeCa consumer as well as tourists.”
in the spotlight. There are other opportunities in New
Joel Horowitz, who joined DVF in York. “Certainly Madison Avenue, the
’’
points and market segment.
— JOEL HOROWITZ, DVF
Tech-Savvy Style
September
2012.
DVF demonstrates a keen understanding of the power of the digital space. By Rachel Strugatz
BRIN PHOTO BY GREG KESSLER; RUNWAY BY GIOVANNI GIANNONI; COHEN BY GEORGE CHINSEE; DUCHESS BY PHIL NOBLE/WPA POOL/GETTY IMAGES
geted in countries including Belgium, Middleton was shot wearing an ikat
Indonesia, Korea and Thailand. print dress while in Australia in April,
According to Cohen, two social in the course of hours, it became one of
media teams — one that works on exe- the most searched items on dvf.com as
cution and one that concentrates more well as on partner sites.
on strategy — manage the brand’s digi- “It sold out in an instant,” Cohen
tal presence. There is also a dedicated said of the dress, adding that the brand
team for World of DVF, a blog that von itself didn’t post the image on social
Furstenberg will again begin to con- media. “It had an enormous impact
tribute to biweekly (she has penned on sales of that dress, as well as other
content for the blog in the past). items in that same print.”
it. She’s fascinated by people, how they industry prosper and her actions on be- See you soon, deepest fears and concerns, and who
are and the way they are. She’s a wit- half of female empowerment are all hall- All the best, is going to always understand me and
ness to excellence....I talk to her about marks of an incredible career.” Didier give me the best advice.”
everything, but we often talk about — Frida Giannini, Gucci — Natalia Vodianova, model-philanthropist
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Congratulations to
Diane von Furstenberg
on the 40th Anniversary of
her iconic wrap dress from
Steven Gursky and all
of us at Olshan.
Queen D
she put it.
Reed Krakoff described von
Furstenberg as a “force of nature,
someone with incredible energy. She is
able bring together people from every
different world that fashion exists in,
from politics to the arts, design, archi-
Finding a way to grow and nurture the CFDA tecture and the film industry. Her reach
is so broad and holistic that she is able
and its members. By Marc Karimzadeh to make incredible things happen.”
Added Michael Kors: “With her leg-
endary Diane-ness, she has brought a
FAMILY IS A WORD Diane von whole new spotlight on the CFDA over
Furstenberg uses quite frequently the last eight years. At her core, Diane
when she talks about the Council of is a nurturer — she not only recognizes
Fashion Designers of America, where young talent, she embraces it. She goes
she’s had an eight-year run as presi- out of her way to foster creativity and
dent that was just extended by another to help others, and the network she’s
two-year term. created within the CFDA reflects that.”
For her, family as a theme applies Tommy Hilfiger cited her fearless-
personally as well as professionally. ness and “enormous heart. She really
Remembering her journey to the apex cares about the other designers, wheth-
of the American fashion community, er they are competitors, young design-
she recalled, “I had sold my company, ers coming up, established designers or
had gone to Paris and come back. I re- designers who are trying to stay afloat.
alized that my business, my fashion, my She has a wide network of incredible re-
brand was so much a part of my identity lationships and friends. Her charisma,
and losing it was really painful.”
Residing once more in New York,
where she had made a name for her-
self in the Seventies, she received a
phone call from Stan Herman.
“He asked me to join the board,”
she said. “I felt like such a loser and
an outsider that when they asked me to
join the board, it made me feel good. It
made me feel like I belonged.”
The fashion family warmly welcomed
her back, and not only honored her with
’’ As president of the Council of Fashion Designers
of America, Diane von Furstenberg has revamped
and significantly grown the organization.
personality and motivation are enor-
mous and the board meetings are fun.”
In fact, when asked about von
Furstenberg’s management style at
CFDA meetings — often wildly entertain-
ing while also getting the job done — the
common reaction is “no comment,” fol-
lowed, when pressed, by some off-the-
record tale about an amusing exchange
between the president and a designer,
or a remark by von Furstenberg that is so
over-the-top, it can’t be printed.
a Lifetime Achievement Award after her
successful comeback, but also put her
When they asked me to join “She likes to boss me around some-
what,” Vera Wang said. “She says, ‘Sit
on the committee to find the next presi-
dent to succeed Herman. the board, it made me feel good. down, Vera, sit down here.’”
Recalling lunches at the DVF offic-
’’
“I think the fact that I became presi- es, where the CFDA board would meet
dent and I said I wanted to make it like
a family, is because I had that feeling of
It made me feel like I belonged. before relocating to Bleecker Street, “I
would get myself a plate and the food
belonging to it,” von Furstenberg said. — DIANE VON FURSTENBERG was always so insane that I would get
She spearheaded much change in up and sometimes get a second round,”
the American industry since taking up Wang said. “The year I was nominated
the role — the list of accomplishments “It’s changed so much for young de- mortals, she has no fear. People sense that for the Lifetime Achievement Award,
is extensive. signers,” she added. “It was 9/11, and about her in the loveliest, friendliest way.” Diane said, ‘Sit down, you’re gonna
During her tenure, the designer out of 9/11, Anna [Wintour] decided to She added, chuckling, “They are like this meeting.’ I said, ‘OK, ma’am,’
significantly grew the CFDA member- do something and created the CFDA/ happy to ride along — in her beautiful and I sat down. At the end of the meet-
ship — which, at the start of 2006 was Vogue Fashion Fund. That was a revolu- green Bentley. She is our role model. ing, Diane said, ‘And for the Lifetime
271 and is now at 478 — with not just tion for the fashion industry. Everybody She greets you with a hug and a kiss and Achievement Award, it’s you.’ That’s
designers but also creative directors of has been so generous. Although we is very personable. She brings you in. how Diane is. She cuts to the chase. I
brands, including contemporary ones. compete with one another, there is a That takes a lot, especially in our indus- think she is hysterically funny, yet she
She focused on important indus- camaraderie and a loving spirit, and we try because a lot of us have walls up, but is on the ball and very dedicated.”
try issues such as the need to protect are all about helping each other.” she doesn’t. She says whatever is on her Rag & Bone’s Marcus Wainwright
original design and fight counterfeits, The sentiment was also key to mind — and she has earned that right.” said her contributions have been
and supporting young talent in tan- Fashion’s Night Out, the shopping Ralph Lauren lauded her “legendary “massive,” and she was able to
dem with Anna Wintour via the CFDA/ event that, in the U.S., was a collabora- and ongoing” contribution to fashion. achieve so much because of her stat-
Vogue Fashion Fund. tion between the CFDA, Vogue, NYC & “But never one to sit back, she has fur- ure, her own fashion and her person-
Von Furstenberg also upped the or- Co. and the City of New York. ther inspired us with eight years of her ality. “She is larger than life,” he said.
ganization’s networking potential by Promoting education is another key energetic leadership of the CFDA,” he “She also makes it fun. Sometimes,
launching the Strategic Partnership part of von Furstenberg’s tenure, work- said. “This unselfish commitment to pre- being on something like [the CFDA
Group in 2007. Elsewhere, she ing with domestic and international serve and grow the prestige of American board] could be a bit of a chore but
worked with the Mayor’s office on the schools, as is the push to stimulate do- fashion is characteristic of Diane’s per- I actually quite look forward to it
Fashion Incubator program, as well mestic manufacturing via the Fashion sonal integrity and determined spirit.” because she is priceless. She comes
as the Culture Shed that is part of the Manufacturing Initiative. Steven Kolb, the CFDA’s chief exec- out with phenomenal quotes, there
Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project For models, the emphasis on more utive officer, cited many attributes that is just an endless stream of amazing
and could one day be a home for New diversity on the runway and the Health make von Furstenberg’s leadership comments. I don’t think I could repeat
York Fashion Week. Initiative have been at the core of von role at the CFDA so unique. half of them. She is so irreverent.”
“The truth is we cannot just have one Furstenberg’s philosophy at the CFDA. “She is a business person and work- But, he stressed, “She has galva-
place [to host fashion shows],” she said. Before each collections season, for ing designer and understood the global nized the industry in an incredible
The CFDA is also looking to example, she sends out a letter to the fashion community, all of which added way. Everyone loves her. Everyone
strengthen the overall New York industry that serves to reinforce guide- a lot of validity to her experiences and wants to be part of the CFDA because
Fashion Week brand as an umbrella for lines, which range from a minimum how she could contribute to the orga- she is president. Everyone loves com-
the various facets from Mercedes-Benz model age of 16, to not allowing models nization and its members,” Kolb said. ing to the board meetings and being
Fashion Week to Made, a collection of under 18 to work past midnight, to sup- “My favorite story was right in the be- involved, because we all feel lucky to
shows at and around Milk Studios. plying healthy meals, snacks and water ginning [of her tenure], when she said be a part of the CFDA these days. It’s
Most recently, the CFDA acquired backstage and at shoots, as well as fit- that she can scream to the Italians nearly impossible to think of someone
the Fashion Calendar, a move that ness and nutrition education. in Italian, and beg to the French in to replace her. That’s how good she is.”
aims to streamline the scheduling of As for diversity, the CFDA Founders French. She has done that in the eight For her part, von Furstenberg has
fashion shows and events in New York, Award given to Bethann Hardison, a years she has been president. not lost any of the joy in governing the
which, with more than 350 shows a sea- champion of diversity in fashion, un- “So many companies come to Diane disparate crew that is the American
PHOTO BY ALEXANDER PORTER/BFANYC.COM
son, has become quite challenging for derscored the organization’s commit- to do something with her and she sees designer community.
those involved. ment to the issue. the value, the merit in it, but if it’s not “It’s fun also because you can make a
Initially, she said, her goals includ- “When Tracy Reese suggested we on brand for her, she comes to me,” he difference,” she said. “I get a lot of pub-
ed making the CFDA “a family, and I do something for Bethann [at the board added. “When it’s not right for her, it’s licity around the world. Wherever you
wanted the membership to be a little meeting], we all looked at each other often right for the CFDA.” see the initials DVF, there is the wrap
younger,” von Furstenberg said. “I also like we were idiots. ‘Yeah, of course.’” The two also have their fun. During dress, and now there is the CFDA.”
wanted the world out there to be able to As Reese put it, “No door is closed to the interview, von Furstenberg made a Von Furstenberg has a clear idea of
associate with it, which is why we cre- Diane. If she has an idea or we have a point that Kolb learned how to dress what she wants her CFDA legacy to be:
ated the Strategic Partnership Group. dream that might seem too high for most once he joined the CFDA. “That I was a great mother.”
32 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II
WWD MILESTONES
BENTLEY PHOTO BY JOHN PARRA/WIREIMAGE; WARHOL PORTRAIT COURTESY OF THE ANDY WARHOL FOUNDATION
usually traveling with family and we WWD: What do you think of bucket lists?
celebrate wherever we are. Because it If you have one, what is near the top?
is the last day of the year, I like to take D.V.F.: That is a difficult one…many,
inventory and write my New Year’s many projects.
resolutions. My anniversary is Barry’s
birthday, so it is more about him than WWD: What’s the best part about living
us. I guess every day is our anniversary! in New York? The worst?
D.V.F.: The energy — New York is full of
WWD: What have been your three favor- possibility. It always feels as if anything
ite trips? could happen and that is so exciting to
D.V.F.: A trip driving through me. The worst is that it can be hard to
Uzbekistan, my week hiking in Bhutan, slow down and find clarity.
sailing around the world on my boat
EOS — those are my favorite trips! WWD:: What are your words to live by?
D.V.F.: “Fear is not an option.” And of
WWD: What is your favorite belonging? course, “Love is life!”
Family heirloom? Article of clothing?
Mode of transportation? Is there any- WWD: If the adage that “you are only
thing you can’t live without? truly yourself when no one else is
D.V.F.: My good luck charm is a coin my near” is true, what scenario might best
father gave me from the war. I tape it to describe you?
the bottom of my shoe for every fashion D.V.F.: I think that being true to yourself
show. My favorite articles of clothing are is the most important thing. The most
the cotton kurtas I sleep in. My favorite important relationship is the one you
Clockwise from top left: Portraits of von Furstenberg by Andy Warhol (1984), Li Songsong mode of transportation is walking. And I have with yourself. Everything else fol-
(2011) and Francesco Clemente (1999). couldn’t live without my family. lows from that.
34 WWD MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2014
SECTION II WWD.COM
WWD MILESTONES
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG has often said that $50,000 to further their efforts. The event saw its fifth Front row, from left: Panmela Castro, Chouchou
she owes her own freedom and independence to the installment last April, honoring Alicia Keys, Gloria Namegabe, Jaycee Dugard, Oprah Winfrey and Layli
wrap dress, which made her a household name 40 Steinem and three others — two of whom were chosen Miller-Muro. Back row: Diane Sawyer, Maria Bartiromo,
years ago, and she’s positioned philanthropy — par- from the Vital Voices global network of women. Past Jessica Alba, Tina Brown, Diane von Furstenberg and
ticularly women’s empowerment — among her top honorees include Hillary Rodham Clinton, Oprah Debra Winger at the 2012 DVF Awards.
passions ever since. Winfrey, Elizabeth Smart and Natalia Vodianova.
“I think she feels as though she is a woman who “There are so many women doing amazing things,
has made it beyond what her wildest dreams were,” so it is very difficult to narrow the field [to five women she also understands the power of the fashion industry
said Alyse Nelson, president and chief executive of- each year],” von Furstenberg said. and the message that it can send to the world.”
ficer of Vital Voices, the Washington, D.C.-based non- Many of the honorees, like Sunitha Krishnan, ac- The Fashion for Haiti campaign donated $1
governmental organization that trains and empow- tivist and cofounder of Prajwala who was honored in million to the Clinton Bush Haiti fund, while the
ers emerging female leaders around the world. Von 2013, are former victims of sex trafficking and abuse, Fashion for Sandy Relief initiative raised $1.7 mil-
Furstenberg has been a board member of Vital Voices violence or other hardships. lion for the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
since the early Aughts, when she started donating a “She turns them into survivors,” said Nelson. and other relief organizations.
percentage of sales from her store on International “One of the things [Diane] says that I love is that she’s Another cause dear to von Furstenberg’s heart is
Women’s Day to the organization — and still does. never met a woman who isn’t strong. Sometimes that the cultural enrichment of the Meatpacking District.
“She looks around and wants to give back,” Nelson strength is being pushed down [if a woman] is in an “It is where I live and work and it has always been
added. “But she doesn’t just want to write a check. She abusive relationship or difficult financial situation, so welcoming to me,” she said of the neighborhood. In
wants to get personally involved in women’s lives.” but when that strength is tested, it comes out.” 2011, the Diller-von Furstenberg foundation gifted a re-
In 1999, von Furstenberg founded the Diller-von Von Furstenberg has also been involved in several cord $20 million to the High Line — ultimately helping
Furstenberg Family Foundation with her husband, charity initiatives in her role as president of the CFDA to finish the project — amounting to a total pledge of $35
Barry Diller, and her children from her first marriage since 2009: most notably Fashion for Haiti, Fashion for million over the years. To honor the foundation and the
to Egon von Furstenberg, Alexander and Tatiana. The Sandy, Fashion Targets Breast Cancer, Seventh on Sale family, Friends of the High Line renamed its headquar-
private foundation provides philanthropic support benefitting AIDS and HIV research and the organiza- ters the Diller-von Furstenberg Building.
to nonprofit groups in arts, education, human rights tion’s health initiative for models. Von Furstenberg is also a board member of the
and the environment. “All of us have different causes “What she’s demonstrated since she’s been presi- Culture Shed at Hudson Yards, a cultural center slat-
— mine tend to be around women and girls,” von dent is the organization’s response to disasters,” Steven ed to open in 2018 that’s said to be the future home of
Furstenberg said. Kolb, ceo of the CFDA, explained. “She was organizing New York Fashion Week.
One of the events the Diller-von Furstenberg very quickly to get the industry behind a collective ef- “Where she goes, people will follow,” said Nelson.
Family Foundation underwrites is the annual DVF fort [for Haiti], and [likewise] with Hurricane Sandy “She’s got a voice that carries weight with a different
Awards, which heighten exposure to individuals here. She sees the human element and she responds kind of audience. She’s made these issues cool to a
who work on women’s causes and provides grants of very much to how those disasters impact people. But whole new generation of men and women.”
40
HERMAN KAY
Congratulates DVF on
years
Congratulations DVF
40
on
YEARS
of exceptional fashion and its impact on the industry
YOUR LOGISTICS PARTNERS
congratulates
the
WOMAN
I WANTED
to be