DVF – A CULTURAL ICON
Many will recognise DVF for its iconic wrap dress worn by royalty and A-listers alike. The dress quickly became a cultural icon for female empowerment and liberation. The brand has undoubtedly left its mark on women’s fashion trends and cycles but reports that during the 2020 U.S COVID lockdown hundreds of staff were not paid, while several employees were let go without receiving a severance package suggests the brand’s success is on the decline once again. Can DVF stand the test of time entering a new world post COVID-19?
SIZE EXPANSION
After DVF’s relaunch in 1997 the brand has attempted to expand its potential customer through collaboration and social media presence. Creating a sports-wear range with Reebok in 2003 and lifestyle range with H&M in 2021 shows the brand’s extension into high-street brands in attempt to appeal to a new customer. The brand’s collaboration with 11 Honoré in 2019 saw an extended size capsule of the wrap dress, reaching out to a new consumer and update the arguably outdated dress.
APPEALING TO GEN-Z
Recent years have seen DVF’s attempts at branching into new forms of social media and influencing. The brand’s Instagram and TikTok accounts consist of various endeavours to appeal to a younger audience, such as participating in “TikTok trends” and posting quotes, horoscopes, and inspiration for how to style their pieces regularly on both platforms. Is this outreach to a younger generation a final attempt at reviving a struggling brand?
A SLOW DEMISE
In recent years DVF have seen an accumulative loss of near $80 million, leading to an eventual 75% of the workforce being made redundant in the U.S in May 2020. 18 stores across the U.S were shut down, leaving only one remaining, with many former staff left unpaid. Looking at the brand’s influence in China suggests the demise of DVF’s cultural influence in a new generation of women. China’s massive luxury market suggests that DVF should be able to break into the trends easily, however social media interaction suggests the opposite. The brand’s Weibo account has a high number of followers yet receives virtually no interaction or influence to buy products. Perhaps Chinese customers are refusing to pay the premium price for the brand when inundated with more socially and culturally relevant luxury brands.
THIRD TIME LUCKY?
As Diane von Fürstenberg said herself, “Corona hits someone a lot worse if they have a precondition”. The brand’s slow demise in recent years has meant that the pandemic has hit the brand hard but how can that excuse the accusations of leaving staff unpaid? Will DVF be able to revive for a third time in the new world it finds itself in, or is this the end for this iconic brand?
INSIDE THE BRAND: DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
The Fashion and Design Club’s publication, Inside the Brand: Diane von Furstenberg, takes an unbiased and uncensored look at the designer and her namesake brand. Inside the Brand: Diane von Furstenberg goes behind the glossy facade of von Furstenberg and her brand and reveals the stark reality of how both are potentially going down like a lead balloon. There’s a reason why the book is subtitled ‘Unwrapping the Hype’. Read it now on Amazon.
