Diane von Furstenberg: Fashion Icon and Philanthropist

a woman who never stops innovating or evolving. I'm a land vere and this is Seneca's Women to Hear. We are bringing you one hundred of the world's most inspiring and history making women. You need to hear. Dion von Furstenberg has accomplished enough for ten lifetimes. Starting in the nineteen seventies, she parlayed her best selling rap dress into a fashion empire. She also devoted her resources to empowering

other women. Her annual DVF Awards give fifty thou dollar grants to women who are changing lives for the better within the last few years. Dion has also launched her hashtag in Charge campaign to connect women with each other and She's collaborated with the Girl Scouts on a special scarf and bag. Dion has also put her energies to use for another famous female. She's raised more than a

hundred million in dollars for the Statue of Liberty. I've had the privilege of knowing Dion for many years, and I had the chance to talk with her during an onstage conversation at a Seneca Women Forum. Listen and learn why Dione von Furstenberg is one of Seneca's one Women to Hear Dion, I love being with you, icon, innovator, inspiration. I think you have so much um from the wealth of your experience that you can share and and maybe we can start by talking about the young people, because

I I hear this a lot. I'm on a campus a good bit and UM, you know it's it's what advice do you have for me? How do I start on this road to a purposeful life? And millennials today really want that kind of balance. Uh. It's funny. I I kind of relate very well with the millennials because when I was twenty five, that's what I wanted and I got it very very quickly. So UM, I relate to to the millennials. But my first advice before anything is always tell you that the most important relationship in

life is the one you have with yourself. I mean, that is the number one rule for your own strength, for your own confidence. I mean you may have wonderful relationships, but you could lose you could lose you could lose your mother, you can lose your husband, you could lose your health, you can lose your wealth, but you never lose your character. So I think the first the first advice is that make sure that you create that little house within yourself that is your support system that you

have that complicit it with yourself. That means you have to be hard on yourself. That means you have to be demanding on yourself. But then after your heart and and demanding and discipline and all of that, you can also have fun. So remember be serious at the base, and if you're serious at the base, you could be frivolous on the top. And Okay, so the first step is that have make sure that you and yourself are your best friend forever. And that requires a lot of practice.

That requires to continue to have a relationship with not delude yourself, be you know, continue the dialogue with yourself. And then once you have that, then you look at the world. You look at the world, and you're young. Just be curious. Look at all the doors that are in front of you, and the least glamorous door maybe

your door. So push the doors, be open, be open to everyone and everything, because you don't know what is going to be the one thing that will be your thing in order to be yourself and to become yourself, so be be your best friend, and then start design your life. And you heard it here good advice. So so then there there are those of us who you know, have worked for a long time, are looking for that next chapter, shall we say, or at three and wanting

to do something perhaps that's more meaningful. Is less of that drive that we've experienced. It's a different kind of a drive, you know. I think that we have three stages in life. We have development, which when I was young I thought would be up to thirty and then I pushed the thirty five and and then you have the middle is the milliers who are supposed to be

enjoyment but often not not. And then and then you have the third part of your life, which is supposed to be fulfillment because it's the time that your children have children, and all of a sudden you realize that you were actually a good parent because they repeat, they repeat the same thing that you you thought they never heard. So you have something you wish you hadn't so right, but anyway, so you really um, So that's really important. And experience. All of a sudden you have this incredible

thing called experience. And I remember when I was young, I could never I asked my teacher and they couldn't explain what experiences. And the truth is, experience you cannot explain what it is until you have it. So it's um. And so of course philanthropy and giving back and being having a purposeful life happens, and but it should happen before. It's just that, you know, sometimes philanthropy could be intimidating. You know, it's like landscaping. Oh can I cut that drink?

And I planned that trink? You feel like you need a greenhouse and you need somebody to tell you that, and then you do it yourself and you realize, oh, yes, trees do plants, you know, do grow. So I think it's about it's about paying attention. Paying attention is what it's all about. First you build your saying, and then you pay attention to others. And just by paying attention, just by doing a little thing, introducing this person to

another person, you can make magic happen. We all have a magic wand all have a magic wand and it's important that we use it. And the way we use it is by paying attention to everyone and everything. No one is truly boring if you actually get to the truth of them, and and and and to the intimacy. So you know when I have a secret, because you know, sometimes you go to dinner party. I don't go in so much anymore. But and they sit you next to a really really really really boring man and you say,

what am I going to do? And then the trick is make him talk about his mother, and then all of a sudden you see the little boy that he was, and it's so much more interesting. She has a PhD in psychology too, But I failed to say that, Oh that's terrific. Seneca has one hundred women to hear. Will

be back after the short break. So, Dion, you you're you're a businesswoman, Um, you're an innovator, You're a philanthropist, So for these kinds of successes and these various facets that you've been engaged in, you need to be able to generate ideas. You need to be stimulated. Where does this well spring come from? You know, one of the things we've been talking about UM is the need for innovation being a part of our lives. Where do you

where do you get first? First of all, let me tell you there's no such thing as being successful and just sit down and sit on your success, because it does. It's not like that when people may think you're a success, you may yourself feel like a total loser because you're going through a very difficult time. So life is like an ongoing thing. You know. I write my diary. I've written my diary all my life, and whenever I opened an old diary, it's actually quite boring because I said,

I'm always at the turning point of my life. It seems like all I did was turn, turn, turn. So where do the ideas come from? Well, it's life, it's your life, and it's really it goes very fast. So it's about opening your eyes and looking at the colors and looking at the people and and having the experience and being engaged with what happens around you, and and then you'll never be bored, and then you'll always be engaged. And you'll make lots of mistakes, but mistakes make you.

You know, from a mistake, you turn it around and do something good. I guess we now know where you get all of your inspiration. For the two things that I'm inspired by is nature. Nothing is more inspiring the nature. Nothing, the colors, the textures, the beauty, the mixed of things that it's just overwhelming. So for me, that's luxury. To find nature, to find space for me, that is absolutely luxury. And then I get inspired by women. I get inspired

by women because women are so strong. So let's just forget about take it for granted that you are stronger. Just take it for granted. Don't don't doubt your strength. Oh this is a beautiful thing that I use when I get depressed. If you if you doubt your power, you give power to your doubts. That's a good one and very good one. And so the most important thing is to really really believe in yourself. So we go back to the first question. Really, it's all about believing

in yourself. I will briefly tell you my mother's story, because my mother's story is really what explained who I am. During the war. Imagine, during the war occupied occupied Belgium, a girl gets arrested twenty two years old, goes to the concentration camp for thirteen months, um gets liberated because the war is over. She weighs forty nine pounds. She could barely move. She could barely move, but when she feels the little question and name state of health, she wrote,

excellent health. She could move anyway. So little by little she went back to her home. Her mother fed her. Six months later, the her fiance came, came to Belgium, they got married. The doctor says, you're absolutely utally cannot have a child for at least five years because you won't survive and the child will not be normal. And sure enough, nine months later I was born, and I was not normal. So my mother is my example of strength. She taught me fear is not an option, no matter what,

never be a victim. And and and she every year she used to write, and she used to tell me God saved me so that I can give you life. By giving you life, you gave me my life back. You are my torch of freedom. So what she put in my hand as a baby is the torch of freedom. And I didn't realize any of that until I was much much later, and I realized that's what I fight for. Freedom. Freedom is everything. Freedom is health, freedom is financial, freedom

is being able to speak. The more important freedom is being able to be who you are. So my word to you is trust who you are. You are so much better than you think you are. Don't be afraid of your own strength. And once you know you're strong, you don't have to show. It doesn't matter you know it. Oh, I've become a I've become a life coach. I think I think you need. That's a good thing about getting old. So let's go quickly about getting old. Why are we going to get it? I mean we don't. We only

have what we want to talk about getting old? Yes, yes, because it's an achievement. I am, I am be being older. Being older is an achievement. I turned seventy this year, and I tell and I tell everybody because first of all, I like the sound of it. I like them to say oh really, oh that they don't mean it. But also because it means that I made it and truly having lived the life I lived, I should be hundred

and forty. So don't be afraid of the years. When I see a young girl who's thirty five, but she's afraid to say her age, I mean that is insanity. When the child is said, oh you're ten years old, Oh you're twelve, who you're fifteen, and then all of a sudden, what we don't say the age anymore? And that's insane. Well, you know they say it's a state of mind, and there's no not. In my mind it's not. But you will forever beyond no matter how you feel physically if you and I doubt, I doubt that you

feel bad physically, So anyway, I don't know. Enjoy. I think you need your own show. Enjoy your life and enjoy who you are. That's my message, and what a great message. As I said, DVF is one of a kind, so much wisdom. Here are a few things that really stayed with me from that conversation. First, I love Deon saying that we all have a magic wand and that we can use it by paying attention to everyone and everything. That way, life is never boring and we can do

so much good. Second, Dion also reminds us that we are all more powerful than we think. All women are strong, says DVF, but she cautions when you doubt your power, you give power to your doubts. Lastly, Dion dem straits that the most important relationship we can have is with ourselves. We have to be good to ourselves but also be demanding, and we need to recognize that our individuality is our

greatest source of strength. Tune in next Tuesday to hear about our next featured woman and discover why she's one of Seneca's one hundred Women to Hear. Seneca's one hundred Women to Hear is a collaboration between the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio, with support from founding partner p And. If you like what you heard on the show, rate and review it on Apple Podcasts, we hope you'll join us for our next episode of one hundred Women to Hear, where we can all listen, learn

and get inspired. Have a great day.