Diane von Furstenberg: ‘It’s very important not to give up’

“Simone Vale was a politician in France, she was minister many times. She was about the same age, and had the same journey, as my mother. She was in Auschwitz, and she was a survivor. She did the Death March, and so did my mother. So I was interested in reading her memoir because survivors have many things in common. I was raised by a mother who always told me that to be a woman was lucky; I wasn’t raised by a mother who felt overpowered by men. She always made me feel that it was such a privilege.”

“Simone de Beauvoir was an intellectual, writer, existentialist and philosopher. I really admired that. I don’t remember having read The Second Sex all in one go – I studied it and analysed it – but it just had an impact. But as a woman she had so much impact as well. She wrote about women’s oppression, freedom, and not being overpowered by a man. It’s all about equality.”

“When I came to New York it was very much the time of sex liberation, and women’s lib. The women who were my idols were Angela Davis, the Black Panthers, and Gloria Steinem, especially. What I loved about Gloria Steinem is that she was such an advocate for woman. yet she was a beautiful woman, and she was seductive. I also love the fact that she never takes herself seriously even though she has had such an effect on on generations of women.”

“What I love the most about her is the way her writing is so brilliant, but there’s a certain detachment that is so powerful. She’s never emotional. And I guess that, now that I’m thinking about it, the common thread, of all of the books and all of these women that I’ve told you about, is all about being strong.”

“What I love about Rachel Maddow is she is angry, she’s an activist, she’s loud, and she’s not afraid. She’s angry in a very intelligent way – she proves a point, she does her research. And so the reason I chose this book is because activism is very important to fight inequality, abuse, and violence.”