For four decades, give or take, Diane von Furstenberg, the one-time princess turned designer entrepreneur, has offered an approachable, distinctively American take on luxury fashion through her eponymous label. This week, she further broadens her unique brand of accessibility. She’s written a memoir, The Woman I Wanted to Be, published by Simon & Schuster on Tuesday. Rizzoli released a monograph on the 40th anniversary of her signature wrap dress design earlier this month. On Sunday, E! will air the first episode of House of DVF, a reality contest that stands to bring many millions of viewers into von Furstenberg’s glass-roofed design studio in the Meatpacking District as the company searches for a young woman to work as its “brand ambassador.” VF Daily spoke with von Furstenberg this week about why she’s going reality 40 years into her career.
VF Daily: You’ve been a public figure for so long, but you’re also a fairly private person. Why did you decide to open up now?
Diane von Furstenberg: It’s funny you say that because my mother always said that I was actually very private. And it is true. But it’s sometimes easier to open up to people you don’t know. I just felt that the time has come for me to write a book because I’m at the age at which I could say, ‘O.K., I have earned my experience . . .’ I first wanted to write a book about my mother because her story is so interesting. She survived the concentration camps and she gave me my strength. When I started with that, it explained so much who I was. So the book is divided in two parts. One part is the woman I am—it’s essays. One is “roots,” and the second is “love” and the third is “beauty.” And the second part is the business of fashion.
So many fashion brands depend on a certain level of mystique to stay cool or relevant. By having the books and the TV show, you open the doors in a way that not a lot of houses have. Do you feel that there’s any danger of losing some edge there?
I never even thought about. That has not entered my mind. The TV show is a different thing. The TV show is about being in touch with the new generation. It really started genuinely with the search for a young girl who we could train to be brand ambassador, who could travel the world and represent the brand. Then we decided that that could be a TV show. I really don’t like those types of shows, because I think that they are tacky and they objectify the woman. Even though [the show] is fun and very informative about the fashion world and what happens inside it, I also manage to pack some very empowering messages to young women.
It’s an interesting look for you and your company to be opening the doors like this.
Well, but why not? People love to know what happens, and it’s informative. One of the great things about, for example, Project Runway is Tim Gunn was a real teacher. He was the dean of the fashion department [at Parsons] and there was honesty from it. How the editors cut it sometimes made it a little harsh. But since I’m my own producer, I could control that.
I was impressed with how forgiving you were with a few of the girls, even the ones that you sent home. You were authoritative without being mean . . .
But darling, I’m not mean.
But sometimes these shows can exaggerate that.
Yes, well, that’s not who I am. That’s why I wanted to show that. It’s important to show that you don’t have to be a bitch to win.
Would you have been a contestant on this show had it existed when you were 19 or 21?
That’s a verrrry interesting question. Yeah . . . I would actually. I would have loved to.
You sound like you’re convincing yourself a little.
Because I haven’t thought [about] it. Yes, I would have—absolutely. Well, wait a minute. I would have done it if it were Diane von Furstenberg… Because it would stress that it wouldn’t be a hatchet job.
Do you think the young women all learned something from you and from the experience?
Listen, the metamorphosis has been unbelievable. The girls at the end . . . they are so polished. Now they talk to one another all the time. They e-mail every day. It’s become amazing. But I know how to do that. I’ve done that all my life—metamorphosize women. I love that. I’ve done that with my company. I love to watch young girls at the beginning of their lives. I mean nothing is more inspiring to me. And if you can have an effect, if you can open a door for them, it’s so major.