Diane von Furstenberg Honored With Couture Council Award

On Thursday afternoon, Diane von Furstenberg received the 2026 Couture Council Award from the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. The award acknowledges her significant and transformative influence on women's fashion throughout her career, which spans decades.

At Gotham Hall, von Furstenberg spoke about the many people she has encountered over the years. Guests included Martha Stewart, Linda Fargo, and designers Narciso Rodriguez and Nicole Miller. Henry Zankov, artistic director for Diane von Furstenberg and a FIT alumnus, opened the event. He noted that von Furstenberg often says designers are like architects, needing to understand creation, experience, movement, and feeling.

Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times' fashion director and chief fashion critic, presented the award. Friedman described von Furstenberg as a “force of nature” who defied expectations. She highlighted how von Furstenberg, without formal design training, built a successful fashion business in New York that led to her appearing on the cover of Newsweek at age 29. She also reinvented her business multiple times.

Friedman also mentioned von Furstenberg's return to the runway during New York Fashion Week this past September. Beyond fashion, von Furstenberg has championed the New York fashion industry as chairman of the CFDA for over a decade. She has also supported the High Line and Little Island through the Diller-von Furstenberg Family Foundation and was involved in rescuing Lady Liberty. Von Furstenberg, who will soon turn 80, is now focused on a new project to save Venice, according to Friedman.

The AKUSO take: This award celebrates a designer who has shaped how women dress for generations, making her a continuing force in the fashion world.