Wrap 101

At age 21, I found myself working at a printing mill in Como, Italy. The owner, Angelo Ferretti, had offered me an internship to learn about different printing techniques and understand the “behind the scenes” of fashion. Ferretti also had a knitting mill, which was next door, and had invented a cutting edge jersey fabric which he used to make printed t-shirts.

During that time, my mother gave me a ticket to New York as a birthday gift so I could visit my college sweetheart, Prince Egon von Furstenberg, who was there working in banking. This first trip to America changed my life. I fell in love with New York and the new fashion I discovered there… Back at the factory, and appreciating the great setup they had, I got inspired to design simple printed jersey dresses that I could try to sell in America.

Ferretti granted me permission to work on my designs in his factory. I took all the things I had learned and started draping with Bruna, the pattern-maker. First, we made t-shirts and shirt dresses in a variety of prints and lengths. Then, we created a little wrap top, in the style of the sweaters worn by ballerinas, and created a skirt to match. Very soon after, that wrap top became a wrap dress, and the rest is history.

By then, I had married my prince and settled in New York. I travelled pregnant and by ship with my creations to get there and, once I did, the silhouette instantly resonated with the women of the time. The printed jersey wrap dress was stylish, feminine, and, most importantly, practical. It gave women the freedom to dress (and undress) with ease while looking sophisticated and put-together. Through its soft and body-molding fit, it provided professional empowerment and personal freedom, all at an accessible price point. Five decades later and I still can’t believe the wrap is around. As I like to say, “It’s more than just a dress, it’s a spirit.”