Diane von Fürstenberg, honorary citizen of Brussels
On 28 September, Diane von Fürstenberg received the honourable title Honorary citizen of the City of Brussels. By creating globally-renowned apparel, the Belgian-American fashion designer has greatly contributed to promoting the image of our capital, which wanted to express thanks to her for this.
'I must admit that I have received a lot of medals, but this one is very touching for me. It brings me back to my childhood. I spent the first 12 years of my life in my city, my everything.' The queen of New York began her speech with these words filled with emotion after having been made an honorary citizen of Brussels.
Born in Brussels in 1946, the Belgian-American attended the Lycée Dachsbeck secondary school in Brussels. She left for New York at the age of 22 and built her career there as a fashion designer with the wrap dress, known throughout the world. It is a simple yet elegant dress that any woman can wear, which explains its tremendous success. The dress became the symbol of women's liberation in the 70s, which made von Fürstenberg an icon. Diane von Fürstenberg has since become a successful fashion designer and created a fashion house in her name, shortening it to the initials DVF.
In the 2000s, she became involved in good causes with her own foundation, ‘The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation’, which supports various not-for-profit organisations such as the ‘Human Rights Foundation’ and the ‘Citymeals on Wheels’. She also launched her ‘DVF Award’ to honour women who have inspired other women through their prominence and independence.
In 2011, she created a new clothing line, ‘Diane’, which reflects the essence of the entire DVF collection: colourful and easy to wear. In 2012, she created a children's collection by collaborating with Gap Kids. The DVF collection is spread widely throughout 55 countries and worn by countless celebrities including Madonna, Jennifer Lopez and Michelle Obama.
See our exclusive photo report here.