Photo: Getty Images For Diane Von Furstenberg
TheDVF Awardsis a lot more than just a passion project for fashion iconDiane von Furstenberg. It’s her legacy.
Opening up to PEOPLE in an exclusive interview ahead of the 12th annual DVF Awards, which took place in Paris on Wednesday, von Furstenberg, 74, shared that her “third act” is firmly rooted in uplifting the lives of women.
“My role in life now is to have an impact and to have an impact means to use my voice, my experience, my knowledge, my resources in order to help other women to be the women they want to be,” she told PEOPLE. “The DVF Awards is not a marketing tool. I’ve been a feminist all my life, and I take this work very seriously.”
The iconic fashion designer added that in this current climate, women elevating each other is crucial to helping narrow the gender gap that widened during the pandemic.
“After the pandemic, women were set back 36 years,” she said. “We went back 36 years because of all the women who left the workforce to be with [their] children. Because of the rising rates of domestic violence. We were pushed back a lot. So right now, more than ever, it’s very important that women unite.”
Getty Images For Diane Von Furstenberg
This year, von Furstenberg joined forces with the Women’s Forum, kicking off its annual conference with the DVF Awards, hosted at the Opéra Garnier in Paris. Global issues took center stage at Wednesday night’s ceremony, where activist and businesswoman Melinda French Gates, CNN journalist Clarissa Ward, human rights activist Wai Wai Nu, economist and activist Dr. Rouba Mhaissen and climate crusader Vanessa Nakateall took home honors for their heroic achievements. Each honoree was granted with $50,000 for their non-profit organization to help continue their important work.
While on stage, von Furstenberg shared some of her own origin story.
“For 16 years, we’ve witnessed your fortitude and strength on the world’s stage. With every challenge, you’ve met it with calm, stability and the desire for unification,” Winfrey said in the clip. “We all thank you for consistently defining what it means to be a global leader.”
To close out the festivities, von Furstenberg introducedthe Little Amal puppet, an 11-foot puppet depicting a Syrian girl who is currently trekking across Europe to raise awareness about the plight of millions of refugees and displaced children around the world. (Watchher powerful journey here!)
“Amal is a symbol of freedom,” von Furstenberg shared. “Amal is a symbol of hope.”
As von Furstenberg continues to grow her philanthropic platform, she said that she also reminisces about the infancy of her design career (she stepped back in the day-to-day running of her namesake clothing brand in 2016) and how it all led her to the important work she’s doing now.
“I’m at the moment in my life that I look back and everything is making sense and everything is coherent,” she told PEOPLE. “Even in my work, even in my dresses; tosee that a dressthat I designed 49 years ago, almost half a century ago people are still buying and hunting down at vintage stores, it’s truly great. People say I created the wrap dress, but truly the wrap dress created me, because it gave me confidence. And the more confidence I had, the more confidence I passed on. And so whether it is in business or in philanthropy or being a feminist or watching my children grow up and my granddaughters becoming women, all of that just makes me feel good. That I’m true to myself.”
But despite her incredible list of accomplishments across many industries, von Furstenberg still isn’t used to hearing herself being labeled an “icon.”
“[I] prefer oracle, because I preach a lot,” she said. “My mother used to give advice to everybody and that used to drive me insane. And now, of course, I do exactly the same. And so my family, they call me the oracle or the GOAT. You can choose.”
source: people.com
