Diane von Furstenberg: 'Fear is Not an Option'

Celebrate International Women's Day

In an interview on wOw, Diane von Furstenberg talks about being a woman in the garment industry, her philosophies on life, being a woman as well as International Women's Day.

With: Joan Juliet Buck

International Women’s Day was born on March 8, 1908, when fifteen thousand sweatshop workers, all women, took to the streets of New York to protest appalling working conditions and demand the right to vote. Their slogan was “Bread and Roses” — bread for decent pay, roses for a better life.

One hundred years later, International Women’s Day is celebrated across the world. Special attention is paid to helping women in developing countries achieve the rights that those garment workers fought for in 1908.

The designer Diane von Furstenberg, an immigrant garment worker herself, is collaborating with the N.G.O. Vital Voices, which trains and equips women around the world to run for political office, start businesses and succeed.We at wOw talked to the legengdary fashion designer this week about her life and work on the occasion of Women’s Day:

JOAN: What does International Women’s Day mean to you?

DIANE: I enjoy working with women. In my company we are 97% women, they could all be my daughters. I love that feeling. Being with young people does not make me feel old. I don’t feel much different from them, just more experienced and therefore more secure.

JOAN: When you were 40, you said, “Now it’s time to become a myth.” What did you mean?

DIANE: At 40, you can no longer just count on your beauty or on your seduction power…I always joke and say that it is time to become a myth!!! Meaning stand for something…be the best at making apricot jam or whatever!!!

JOAN: What frightens you most?

DIANE: Fear is not an option.

JOAN: What is the biggest lesson you have learned?

DIANE: Don’t be afraid of your own strength...

Thank you to wowOwow.com for the interview. Click on wOw for the complete article.