At the end of 2023, the famous American designer handed over the reins of her brand to a new CEO, Graziano de Boni. Global operations, entrusted to her Chinese licensee Glamel for the past four years, are being taken in-house.
Diane Von Furstenberg has decided to take the reins of the brand of iconic wrap dresses, which she founded in 1972, directly back into her own hands. Four years ago, at the time of the pandemic, she had entrusted them to her Chinese licensee Glamel.
However, she will be relying on a new CEO, Graziano de Boni, who was recruited and quietly arrived last October. He brings with him a wealth of expertise in the world of luxury fashion. He held various management positions at Valentino, Prada and Armani before founding de Boni Consulting in 2018. Graziano de Boni, who will now oversee the entire company and report directly to the Board of Directors, has succeeded Gabby Hirata. The latter had held the position of CEO from 2019 to June 2023.
Reintegration of global operations
After working together for ten months, the new DVF-de Boni tandem made its “union” official, notably with its retailers, in a press release on August 23. And it noted that it was “delighted to announce that, by the end of 2024, the 52-year-old brand’s operations will once again be managed in-house ”.
This reintegration of operations will be completed by the end of 2024. But by then, links with Glamel, to whom Diane Van Furstenberg has expressed her gratitude for the work accomplished, will be far from severed. Having overseen DVF’s global activities, the licensee will now focus on its distribution in Greater China “for many years to come”.
“When I joined DVF 10 months ago, I was asked to develop a plan for the brand’s legacy,” Graziano de Boni explained in the release. Delving into DVF’s history, I discovered not only the iconic wrap dress, which continues to sell after 50 years, but also a vast archive of prints and fabrics that reveal a unique and strong design vocabulary.”
The new CEO said he was, “moreover”, “astounded by the richness and breadth of the content, and by the authenticity of the personal relationship that women of many generations have with DVF. All of this is highly relevant in today’s digital-first retail and social media landscape”.
And in her eyes “regaining control of our branddesign and narrative was the necessary first step in reimagining our business model for the future”.
A new strategy
For her part, Diane von Furstenberg agreed, explaining that Graziano de Boni “had spent a lot of time this year working on the product and focusing on developing the brand strategy” and that to implement the latter, “it was necessary for our operations to be taken back in-house”.
She said she was “very excited to support the leadership” of the new CEO “in reshaping the company, as he surrounds himself with talent that understands the zeitgeist and respects and appreciates the rich assets of the past”.
At 77, Diane Von Furstenberg is not done with fashion…
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Read also > A Brief History of Luxury: the Diane Von Fürstenberg wrap dress, symbol of feminist emancipation
Featured Photo: © DVF
