Diane Von Fustenberg Research Paper

Diane von Furstenberg is known as many things. A daughter, a mother, a fashion designer, the list goes on and on, but most importantly she is a pioneer for women. In 1972, she turned the fashion world around with her signature wrap dress that changed women’s fashion forever. Today, she runs a fashion powerhouse that in many ways wasn’t supposed to exist. To discover the woman that Diane von Furstenberg is today, we must first tell the story of her mother. She was a prisoner of war in Germany during the Second World War. She lived there for fourteen months, and when she finally got out she weighed at a staggering forty-nine pounds. After being told for two and half years that she could never have children, she had her miracle child. Diane says that her mother’s story made her the woman she is today. Diane once told Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen, “The only thing [my mother] told me was that fear is not an option-and the other is that you have to be your best friend.” From early on she knew the type of woman she wanted to be: independent, decisive, and strong. Diane was studying economics at the University of Geneva, when she met Prince Egon von Furstenberg. It was a fast romance, they quickly became engaged
and at 21, Diane became pregnant with her first child. The couple moved to America, where they had their second child. Shortly after, Diane started her own business. She achieved success early on, accomplishing many of her accolades with little help, or experience in the fashion industry. Diane always had a clear vision for her brand; she understood what women wanted to wear, and most importantly how they wanted to feel wearing their clothes. In 1972, von Furstenberg created the “Feel like a women, wear a dress” campaign. The movement of jersey fabric and the easy designs of Giorgio Sant’Angelo and Halston greatly inspired her to create a comfortable garment that made women feel sexy. During this time women were wearing more gender-neutral clothing, but Diane felt that women needed to regain their feminine identity. As a result, she created the jersey wrap dress. This dress style was Diane’s biggest success, and is still a staple in women’s wardrobes today. The silhouette is flattering on most all body types, which is the most desirable attribute of the dress. After selling five million wrap dresses she appeared on the cover of Newsweek, in which they described Diane as the most marketable designer since Coco Chanel. Diane branched out her name to other endeavors, including makeup and bedding. Although she was very successful, Diane sold her brand and moved to Paris in 1985. She didn’t stay away for long, returning to New York in 1990, and re-launching her brand in 1992. Since then, Diane has become one of the most powerful designers in the world.
Her iconic jersey wrap dresses are still produced today, and still have the popularity that they did in the 70’s. Without the innovative style created by Diane von Furstenberg the women’s fashion industry would not have grown into the empire that it is today. Her designs not only re-created feminism for women in fashion, she also showed women how they could overcome the conservative societal perception of women at that time. Her simple wrap dress created an hourglass silhouette that many women began to desire. Diane has an unparalleled compassion for woman, which is easily seen in her designs. She wants women to love themselves first, and love what their wearing
second. The study of costume is very important when trying to understand history. If there weren’t books or pictures, and all we had were garments, we could still gather insight into that time period. Studying Diane von Furstenberg specifically, has given me insight in the roles of women during the 1970’s. Women have always struggled in history to have more equality in society. Whether it was women’s right to vote or abortion, there has always been controversy concerning women’s choices. In the past forty years women’s voice in what they wore has exponentially evolved. Diane had a unique understanding of the average woman and heavily influenced the progressive movement. She believed that all women are strong, and should be independent, and love themselves before anyone else. So she created an iconic garment that made women feel just that. Studying historical designers can teach us a plethora about history. We can learn about the zeitgeist, the social and moral issues, and even the economic status. Fashion is a form of art, so in many ways what the designers put out can show us how their surroundings inspired them. After “9/11” designers started using red, white and blue, exuding patriotism through clothing. Future generations will be able to look at these collections and see the tribulations and unity that our country experienced. Just as studying the wardrobe of the traditional Muslim woman can help us better understand the role they play in their society. Historical costumes and designers can teach us many things. Individual garments can tell the inspirational stories of their designers as well as the time period in which they were fabricated. Studying designers not only teaches us about their life, we are exposed to their time period as well. Researching Diane von Furstenberg has shown me that she’s more than just a designer, daughter, mother, or woman. She is a voice that stood up for women in a time that suppressed change, and she has inspired the independent women of today.