“The Women We Celebrate Tonight Are Truly Extraordinary”: Inside the 2024 DVF Awards
For Diane von Furstenberg, empowering women isn’t just a catchphrase—it’s a genuine commitment to supporting causes close to her heart. In 2010, in collaboration with the Diller-von Furstenberg Foundation, she founded the DVF Awards to honor women who embody courage, resilience, and leadership. As she put it, the awards aim “to amplify their voices and provide financial support to their efforts in areas such as climate change, immigration, fighting human trafficking, promoting gender equality, and preventing violence against women.” A lifelong feminist, she emphasized her desire to leave a legacy that elevates women by giving them visibility and creating connections. “The women we celebrate tonight are truly extraordinary,” she said. “They’ve demonstrated not only strength and courage but also compassion, dignity, and leadership—they’re real badasses.”
It goes without saying that for the formidable DVF, doing good deeds jibes with glamour. The awards were presented during a fabulous soirée in Venice, where the designer has made her home, spending much of her time at the magnificent Palazzo Brandolini. “Venice is a woman, the most beautiful and bewitching,” she said, draped in a sensuous, bejeweled saree, looking rather bewitching herself as she greeted guests and honorees in the vast spaces of the Arsenale.
This year’s list of recipients was especially poignant, underscoring the critical role of women’s fight for a better future during a time marked by global turmoil and instability. It included former Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Rt. Hon. Dame Jacinda Arden, who led her country from 2017 until 2023 facing challenges from terror attacks and volcano eruptions to severe COVID-19 emergencies; Israeli co-founder of Women Wage Peace, Dr.Yael Admi and Palestinian co-founder and Director of Women of the Sun, Reem Al-Hajajreh, who are collaborating on finding common ground for a peaceful resolution in the Israel-Palestine conflict; Mexican Xiye Bastida, a 22-year-old Climate Justice activist and Re-Earth co-founder who spoke passionately about her initiatives. Italian gynecologist Alessandra Kustermann was awarded for her tireless commitment as an advocate for reproductive rights and as president of the social cooperative Donna Help Donna against domestic violence; the indefatigable work of Her Excellency Mrs. Graça Machel, a stateswoman from Mozambique, was recognized for a lifetime dedicated to improving the life conditions of women and children, reporting also for UNICEF on the impact of armed conflicts on children in war zones across the globe.
It was an impressive lineup of beautifully poised and classy trailblazers, but what truly stood out—and felt priceless—was their dignity and integrity; all the speeches were awe-inspiring and emotional, often moving the audience to applause and standing ovations. Introduced by American television journalist Gayle King, Jacinda Ardern highlighted the challenges faced by female leaders, striking a powerful chord in today’s political climate.
“To be a leader in politics, we’ve been told that to show emotion is to be weak, to seek consensus is to compromise, to not have every answer to every question is to lack confidence,” she said. “But I firmly believe that people are demanding a different kind of leadership—a leadership that is more humane. The world is so cruel these days,” she continued. “We’re facing the biggest challenges in climate change; children are growing up in regions with wars raging around them, with all the terror and hate they bring. Democracy is at risk, people are worried about their jobs. All of that — there’s little we cannot solve when we focus on our shared humanity." Ardern is writing a book to share her experience, and she has started a fellowship on empathetic leadershipm “not because I was a perfect leader—I was not. But because we demand from our leaders the same empathy, kindness, generosity and curiosity we teach our children. I believe it’s possible to lead differently, and I’m on a mission to help others do the same.”
One of the highlights of the evening, which was opened by a soulful performance by British singer and songwriter Freya Ridings, was the speech of Oprah Winfrey, who introduced her longtime friend, Her Excellency Mrs. Graça Machel.
Backstage before the ceremony, Winfrey, clad in a form-fitting bright orange DVF number, shared her thoughts on her first-ever visit to Venice, which clearly left her awe-struck. She also reflected on the particular relevance of the DVF Awards at this moment, emphasizing their significance: “This award is about shining a light on the work many women do, women who have, in the heat and heart of the struggle, held onto themselves in a way that builds strength over time. They build a power within them that just exudes, and you can feel it—when powerful women gather and come together, we draw strength and power from each other, and we are lifted by each other.”
Winfrey emphasized that women need to be seen and heard, and to understand that what they say truly matters. She believes this is what has happened with Kamala Harris, whom she endorsed at the Democratic Convention.
“Kamala has literally shed her skin and stepped into her calling, her purpose, in a way we hadn’t seen before. It feels to me like she was hiding behind a veil, almost living in the shadows, making herself smaller, dimmer. But now, what has happened is that she has done what everyone, especially women, hopes to do—she’s stepped into the light, stood tall, and embraced the power within herself.”
This is one of the reasons, enthused Winfrey, why more people are feeling hopeful, why they sign up to volunteer and donate, because they see something in her that’s authentic—and attractive. “She’s inspiring because women often suppress themselves, they make themselves a little dimmer to be able to walk into the office to make somebody else feel they’ve the right to outshine them, feeling a little smaller to make others big enough to shine. That’s what happened with Kamala—she dropped that veil.”
STEFANO TROVATI1/20Diane Von Furstenberg, Sacha Baron Cohen
STEFANO TROVATI2/20Oprah Winfrey; Graca Machel
