Charlie Rose Talks to Diane von Furstenberg
When you relaunched in 1997, what kind of company did you want to build?
The first time was the American dream, right? I started to work because I wanted to be independent. The second time, I call it the Comeback Kid. I wanted to show myself and the world that it hadn’t been an accident. Now I’m at this third moment, my third career, so to speak. Now it’s about legacy. It’s lasted this long, so how do we launch it for the next decade. And I’m very happy to announce that after two and a half years, I finally found the ideal CEO for my company.
Why did it take so long to find the right CEO?
I wanted to find somebody I felt I could give everything I’ve done, who could be my heir. They would have to be somebody who understood business but who, in the end, understood product and loves product, because I don’t sell numbers to women. I sell clothes. I sell accessories. I sell confidence. He’s young. He’s Italian. His name is Paolo Riva. What’s interesting about him is that he’s a finance guy, a marketing man, got an MBA, but then he became interested in the product, the experience of retail. When I asked, “Why do you want to do this?” He said, “First, because I love you, the person. Second, because the potential of your brand is unbelievable. And third, because you’re a private company.”
For Time’s 100 Most Influential People list this year, the actress Jessica Alba writes that you made your own destiny.
That was very nice of her to say that. And I was very flattered to be voted onto that list. The most important thing to take away from that—other than to say thank you for the honor—is to remind ourselves that whatever voice we have, we should use it for people who have no voice.
She also praised your signature wrap dress.
It’s a dress that has managed to survive for 40 years, which has never happened before. I had no idea that this little dress would have so much influence on women’s lives, other than the fact that it paid all my bills. It disappeared completely for a while, when I sold my company in 1983. [Then] I started seeing it on young girls. They used to buy it in vintage shops, so I started making it again.
Tell me about the DVF awards.
When Tina Brown introduced the Women in the World Summit six years ago, I took advantage of that. It’s always on the second night of the conference. We honor five women who’ve had the courage to fight, the power to survive, and the leadership to inspire. They each get $50,000. And it’s amazing what you can do with that little money. And year after year, these women have become more powerful in the work that they do.
What do you say to women about the act of aging?
Aging is the sign that you have lived, right? It’s the proof. It’s not that I welcome it, but it’s just that I like it better than the alternative. I embrace it, and I do the best I can with it but won’t hide from it, because it’s hiding from the truth. And that’s never good. Truth is my religion. I practice it every day.
I get the impression your mother is never far from your thoughts.
You know, she survived Auschwitz at the age of 22. She had the courage to survive. She made me independent. I was her vengeance. I was her flag of freedom: Fear is not an option, and you’re never a victim.
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