“I’ve just finished a fabulous tai chi class,” comes a raspy voice from the other end of the line. At 73, Diane von Furstenberg's days are longer than the hours that fill them. “My daily 45-minute swim isn’t until later, and I’ve finally found the missing piece to my jigsaw puzzle,” she tells me, as the countdown on our 20-minute phone call begins. We jump topics in the way her famous wrap dress has jumped generations. Von Furstenberg is one of those rare designers whose talent has long intersected with the spirit of an age.
The 2020 pandemic, however, changed a lot for the American brand. In June, it reported a 75 per cent reduction in employee strength, and the closure of 18 of its 19 global stores. Despite this, in a locked-down world, where labels are lamenting their losses, Von Furstenberg says, “This very strange period is forcing me to own it and focus on our true identity. I am very lucky to have an iconic product, the wrap dress, that has lasted for four decades. Our brand has a purpose and a message that caters to the woman in charge, and we’ve had a loyal customer following for many generations. For these reasons, I remain positive.”
Beyond her dress that made history (quite literally; it hangs in the halls of the Metropolitan Museum of Art), her legacy has spilled over to fostering emerging fashion talent as president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) and its chairperson for 13 years, supporting non-profit organisations making waves in women’s empowerment and launching a podcast channel, InCharge with DVF.
Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av VOGUE India.
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Denne historien er fra August 2020-utgaven av VOGUE India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Breathe In, Breathe Out
A powerful tool to help you master your nervous system or another biohacking buzzword? SIMONE DHONDY explores the inhalations and exhalations of breathwork
Red Pill, Blue Pill
India's nutraceutical industry is booming thanks to advanced technology, distrust of the medical system and rising vanity. With multivitamins becoming purer and more effective, NIDHI GUPTA finds out if supplements have become the new serum
Sign of the times
No longer do you need to have an answer to, \"What is the significance of this?\" when people point to your new tattoo. ARMAN KHAN discovers that everything is on the table when you get inked temporarily
Return to form
Watching the world's most elite athletes deliver the best performances of their careers rekindled SONAKSHI SHARMA's own love for sports
Dimple, All Day
YOU MAY HAVE WATCHED HER ON THE BIG SCREEN FOR OVER FIVE DECADES, BUT DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE OF ASSUMING THAT YOU KNOW DIMPLE KAPADIA.
MUSIC, TAKE CONTROL
As someone who had always sought safety in numbers, ALIZA FATMA often wondered what her own company would feel like. The answer arrived unexpectedly when she attended her first-ever music festival, one of the largest in the world, all alone
Let it grow
When we think of hardworking farmers toiling in India's scorching heat, we often think of men, the sweat on their brow, the sinews in their arms. JYOTI KUMARI speaks to four women who are championing the invisible female labour that keeps these fields running
YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE
When armless archer Sheetal Devi set her sights on the Paralympic Games this year, she knew she had a tough journey ahead of her. Luckily, her mother was with her every step of the way.
Beauty and the feast
The appeal of Indian weddings has always been in a sprawling spread. For additional bragging rights, Aditi Dugar recommends going beyond designer tablecloths and monogrammed napkins.
Sweet serendipity
From a scavenger hunt-inspired proposal to a Moroccan-themed baraat, Malvika Raj and Armaan Rai's love story prioritised playfulness throughout their blended celebrations.
