“I was the architect of my destiny and I became the woman I wanted to become.” It is one of the most powerful phrases of Diane von Furstenberg which can be heard in the trailer of the documentary just released in Italy which tells the story of his incredible life: Diane von Furstenberg: woman in charge. The docu-film, directed by two-time Oscar-winning director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton, will have its world premiere at the next Tribeca Film Festival during the opening night and will then arrive on June 25 on Disney+ in Italy and internationally and on Hulu in the United States.
What to expect from this fashion film? An unprecedented and very profound portrait of the designer, fashion mogul and emblem of feminism. “You don’t know that my mother was a prisoner in Auschwitz, I am the daughter of a survivor who passed on to me all her trust in her life”. She grew up in Belgium by a Jewish family and then moved first to Spain and then to Switzerland where she earned a degree in economics in Geneva. In front of Diane, she promises an extraordinary future. After an apprenticeship in Paris in the world of cinema alongside the director Albert Koski and in Italy as an intern for the textile entrepreneur Angelo Ferretti who she herself will define as “my teacher from whom I learned everything about cuts, colors and fabrics”, she married in 1969 Prince Egon von Furstenberg despite his family’s protests over Diane’s Jewish origins.
After her wedding with Egon she began to sketch clothes: “I felt the need to fulfill myself and create a career that would allow me to express my talent to the fullest”. From the marriage that lasted only three years “and from which I regret nothing” two splendid children were born, Alexander and Tatiana. Having moved to New York City, she meets the iconic editor Diana Vreeland who will find her creations “magnificent” and will include her in the list of the most promising names in the fashion system of the time. Immediately afterwards, in 1974 to be precise, an initial investment of thirty thousand dollars and the creation of her famous wrap dress will establish her as a fashion divinity. From the docu-film out on June 25th we can therefore expect everything: her authentic origins, the story of a Jewish mother who survived the concentration camps, marriages and the unconditional love she felt for the people who revolve around her, being of inspiration are the battle against cancer, luxury and the difficulties related to business, the super glamorous behind the scenes of the New York evenings at Studio 54, the infinite and highly selected lovers, and the pioneering intuitions on a style that will remain iconic forever.
