The Couture Council of The Museum at FIT Honored Diane von Furstenberg

114

The Couture Council of The Museum at FIT  honored Diane von Furstenberg yesterday at their annual luncheon at Gotham Hall. The event raises funds for The Museum at FIT, New York’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion. The lunch welcomed von Furstenberg, current DVF artistic director, Henry Zankov, Martha Stewart, Samira Nasr, Candace Bushnell, Linda Farog, Ruben Toldeo, Stéphane de La Faverie, Meredith Marks, Fern Mallis, Ken Downing, Sarah Wetenhall, Kim Fasting-Berg, Eleanor Banco, Hildy Kuryk, co-chairs Alida Boer and Anne Baker, and many more.  Jason Schupbach, FIT president; and Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator, The Museum at FIT, were on hand to welcome guests. 

The Museum at FIT Student Award was presented to Chloe LaBe. “I recently participated in the museum facilitatorship program at FIT, where I was so lucky to engage with visitors who came to the museum,” LaBe said. “To me, museums are a place where we can step outside of ourselves and experience worlds different from our own. Through art, I’ve managed to better understand myself and to constantly question how to look at the world around me. This belief is what led me to museum studies, so I can share my passion with others.

The highlight of the afternoon was von Furstenberg, whose award was presented by Vanessa Friedman, fashion director and chief fashion critic, The New York Times. “There are a lot of words I could use to describe today’s honoree,” Friedman said. “We call her a designer, entrepreneur, feminist, activist, philanthropist, mother, grandmother, daughter, friend, and mentor. But the term I actually prefer is ‘force of nature,’ which I know is three words. But that’s the point! It is impossible to reduce her to just one.”

Vanessa Friedman, Diane von Furstenberg

DVF gave an incredible 20-minute speech about her life trajectory and what she’s passionate about today. “All of my life, I wanted to be a woman in charge,” she said. “I became a woman in charge, and because I became a woman in charge through a little dress, I gave confidence to many generations of women to become a woman in charge.” She continued:  “As much as my big drive was to be in charge, my big drive now is that I discovered the power of kindness. Kindness is a currency, and it compounds just like money. I’m also doing a little book on kindness. I do one thing every morning, and I would advise you to do the same thing because you’re all very powerful and have a lot of connections. Every morning, I introduce one person to a person who will change their life. All you need to do is write thoughtfully and make that introduction. We all have a magic wand, and I invite you all to use your magic wand and believe in kindness. We all live in world right now that is so negative. We need kindness, and kindness can be sexy!” Indeed!

You can view the original article HERE.