Diane von Furstenberg
In 1970, Diane von Furstenberg entered the American fashion scene with her knit dresses.
 After selling 5 million wrap dresses, Diane von Furstenberg landed on the cover of Newsweek and in The Wall Street Journal. Everyone from Gloria Steinham to Cheryl Tiegs was seen wearing a Diane von Furstenberg Wrap Dress. Diane became an icon of 70s fashion and the liberated woman.
During this period, Diane von Furstenberg created Tatiana, a perfume named for Diane's young daughter. The romantic fragrance was an instant hit. Having conquered the fashion world, Diane sought out the next challenge and launched a cosmetics line.
Eager to share what she had learned while developing her beauty business, Diane wrote Diane von Furstenberg's Book of Beauty and toured the U.S., introducing her line of cosmetics and sharing her beauty secrets.
By the end of the 70s, Diane's sexy and independent style had become universal. The Diane von Furstenberg signature appeared on an array of products.
After selling her cosmetics business in 1980, Diane concentrated her design efforts on a couture collection. She opened a small boutique designed by Michael Graves in the Sherry Netherland building in New York.
In 1984, Diane von Furstenberg took a step back from the whirlwind of the American fashion industry and moved to Paris. Returning to the U.S. in 1991, she published Beds, her first book in a series based on the rituals of life. She later continued the series, publishing The Bath in 1993 and The Table in 1996.
Looking for a way to reenter the fashion industry and directly communicate with her customer, Diane designed "Silk Assets," a line of silk clothing designed specifically for television. The debut collection sold out — $1.2 million dollars in less than 2 hours!
In 1997, Diane von Furstenberg celebrated her fresh start in business and in life by writing her personal and business memoir, Diane: A Signature Life.
Later, inspired by a young generation of women who were buying the original wrap dresses in vintage shops, Diane enlisted the help of her daughter-in-law, Alexandra, and re-launched her dress. In 2000, Diane von Furstenberg expanded to a full dress and sportswear collection. Distribution of the collection expanded globally. In 2001, Diane von Furstenberg — the Shop opened in New York's West Village.
Today women continue to be inspired by the sexy and independent spirit of Diane von Furstenberg. |
