Who says you can’t go home again?
Members of The Brussels City Council granted Diane von Furstenberg the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of Brussels in recognition of her efforts in arts and fashion and for her contribution to the image of Brussels worldwide. Von Furstenberg is also chairwoman of the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Born in Brussels in 1946, von Furstenberg was presented the honor Thursday night by the Mayor of Brussels, Philippe Close at the Town Hall of Brussels.
“Getting this honor from the city of Brussels is extremely moving to me. Brussels is the city of my childhood and when I left it to start going to boarding schools, I was just dreaming of becoming an independent woman,” von Furstenberg told WWD.
Von Furstenberg’s father was Moldovian-born Leon Halfin, who migrated to Belgium in 1929. Her mother was Greek-born Liliane Nahmias, a Holocaust survivor. A year and a half before von Furstenberg was born, her mother was a prisoner at Auschwitz concentration camp.
In her post on Instagram Friday morning, DVF wrote, “I left Belgium as a little girl and I am now a citizen of honor! Thank you Brussels for having given shelter to my parents and for honoring me today!”
In addition to running her fashion business and her role at the CFDA, von Furstenberg is a director of The Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation, which provides support to non-profit organizations in such areas as community building, the arts, education, human rights, health and the environment. The foundation also supports The DVF Awards, presented annually to women who display leadership, strength and courage in their commitment to women’s causes.