Haute couture met health consciousness as Diane von Furstenberg took center stage at the 14th annual Harris Center Public Forum at Harvard Business School on March 8, the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The fashion designer, who pledging to counter the aesthetic of extreme thinness linked to eating disorders, promoted “beauty as health” and explored themes of empowerment.
The Forum, sponsored by the Harris Center for Education and Advocacy in Eating Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, focuses on body image and the media, encouraging discussions about health with leaders of the media, fashion and publishing industries.
Declaring that “beauty is perfect in its imperfection” and that “the most important thing in life is your relationship with yourself,” von Furstenberg, the president of the Council of Fashion Designers of America chronicled personal and professional milestones that have shaped her definition of success. It was in childhood that she began envisioning herself as an “independent woman who could run her own life,” she said, adding, “I became that woman through fashion.”
Drawing inspiration from her mother, a Holocaust survivor, von Furstenberg forged a path to success. She outlined challenges during her early years as a designer, the success of her 1970s wrap dress, the years she spent in Europe after selling her company, and the subsequent expansion of her collection into a global lifestyle brand.
“We are fortunate that the fashion industry has chosen Diane to be its leader,” said Harris Center Director David Herzog, a professor of psychiatry at HMS. Harris re-affirmed the center’s commitment to working with industry professionals to improve health for fashion models and the public.
For more information, visit www.harriscentermgh.org.
