DVF brings ops in-house again as new CEO de Boni re-sets the business

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Aug 25, 2024

DVF founder Diane von Furstenberg and its CEO Graziano de Boni said on Friday that they’re “excited to announce that by the end of 2024 the operations of the 52-year-old brand will be managed in-house again”.

Glamel, its Chinese distributor has managed the global business of DVF since the end of 2020 and will continue to work with the company, distributing DVF in greater China “for many years to come”.

De Boni has been in the top executive role since last October and previously had senior leadership roles at Valentino, Prada and Armani before founding de Boni Consulting in 2018.

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He’ll now be overseeing all aspects of the business, reporting directly to the board, and has been working on the re-set plan since taking up his role.

“When I joined DVF 10 months ago, I was asked to develop a plan for the legacy of the brand,” he said. “Immersing myself into the history of DVF, I found not only the iconic wrap dress that continues to sell after 50 years, but also a vast archive of prints and fabrics that revealed a unique and strong design vocabulary. 

“Furthermore, I was amazed by the richness and breadth of content material and by the authentic personal relationship multi-generational women have with DVF. All of this is very relevant for today’s digital-first landscape of retail and social media. Regaining control of the design and narrative of our brand was the first necessary step to reimagining our business model for the future.”

Meanwhile, Diane von Furstenberg added that “Graziano has spent considerable time this year working with the product and focusing on building the brand strategy. To execute on this strategy, it was necessary that our operations return in-house. I am very excited to support Graziano’s leadership redesigning the company as he surrounds himself with talent that understands the zeitgeist of today and respects and appreciates the richness of the assets of the past.”

The founder added that she’s “very grateful to Glamel” for the work it has done in recent years with the continuing relationship between the two firms clearly underlining that.