Diane von Furstenberg
Founder, Author and Board Member of Vital Voices
Board of Directors
Diane von Furstenberg is a fashion designer, philanthropist, and author who has dedicated her life to inspiring women.
As founder of her eponymous brand and creator of the iconic wrap dress, Diane defined freedom for generations of women. She established the DVF Awards with the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation in 2010 to honor and support women who have had the courage to fight, the strength to survive, and the leadership to inspire.
She has authored several books including Diane: A Signature Life, The Woman I Wanted to Be and Own It: The Secret to Life. Diane was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2019, and she received the Chevalier de la Légion D’Honneur from France in 2020, as well as the Commandeur de l’Ordre de la Couronne from her native Belgium in 2021. She currently serves on the boards of Vital Voices and the CFDA. In 2023, she was the subject of Woman Before Fashion, an exhibition dedicated to her life and career at Brussels’s Fashion & Lace Museum then at the Skirball Cultural Center and became a book published by Rizzoli. In 2024, the documentary Diane von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge premiered as the opening selection at The Tribeca Film Festival before officially launching on Hulu and Disney+ internationally.
In addition to her efforts to empower women, Diane, with The Diller-von Furstenberg Foundation, was instrumental in restoring New York City’s High Line and creating Little Island. Diane also spearheaded the fundraising and creation of the new Statue of Liberty Museum on New York’s Liberty Island.