Diane von Furstenberg On Facing Truths

LinkedIn executive editor Daniel Roth meets Diane von Furstenberg at her offices in New York to discuss her legacy and her third act. Click here for her post:   / generosity-best-investment-diane-von-furst...   "I was very lucky because I came from Europe many, many years ago. I lived an American dream. I really lived an American dream with a little dress. I turned it into a big business. Then I had a second generation. I guess that now I'm at the stage of my life in which I am starting my third act. What is this third act? "In a sense on the business side is to be able bring in people and talent that will take it on, will make it last, and make it relevant, so I have a new creative director, chief creative officer, an English designer called Jonathan Sanders who has brought a fresh look to the fashion and all of that. He's really running the company, the product, and all of that. "I had an incredible admiration for Johnathan's work for years and years, but I had never thought that I would be able to have him because he had his own company. When he was available, I just snatched it. It's actually wonderful to be able to pass on the baton to people that you respect, admire, and love. "The most important thing in good time and in bad time is to absolutely face the truth and not be delusional. By facing the truth, okay, well, this is what happened. It's not so great. What can I do now? Then you find another path, another door, and another person or something. You start something fresh. Maybe that thing was great, this thing that could have happened. Then you don't even remember that it started with a failure."