DIANE VON FURSTENBERG WHAT I KNOW NOW

AS A NEW DOCUMENTARY EXPLORES THE DESIGNER'S INFLUENCE ON FASHION AND CULTURE, SHE'S SHARING THE SOURCES OF HER INNER WISDOM

- JACKIE FIELDS

Diane von Furstenberg has kept a diary all her life. "I find it incredibly useful because I need that: support," says the fashion icon, who was born in Brussels in 1946 to a Holocaust survivor (her mother) and a businessman (her father). With a life that includes marrying a Swiss-born prince at 22 (they divorced in 1983), having two children by 24 and, at 27, creating her signature wrap dress (which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year), it's no surprise she needs a place to document it all. And while she says she has never re-read what's in those pages, she's revealing her extraordinary experiences in a new documentary, Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, premiering on Hulu June 25.

The designer, 77, jokes that watching the documentary was "like being at the gynecologist for an hour and a half" but acknowledges the importance of her story. "For whatever reason, I've shared my journey over the years," she says. "If it is inspiring for other women, then it's worth it." Here she tells People what she has learned along the way.

Turn your weaknesses into strengths.

I was born 18 months after my mother [Liliane Haflin, a Holocaust survivor] was just a few bones in a field of ashes. She wasn't supposed to survive, but she survived, and my birth was a miracle. She used to say, "God saved me so that I can give you life. By giving you life, you gave me my life back.

You are my torch of freedom." She never wanted me to be afraid or to be a victim. So I was trained to turn any adversity into an opportunity: If you own your imperfections, they become your assets.