A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, who immigrated with his family to New Jersey as a child, Zankov credits his time at DVF for shaping his love of color, which he showcases in the playful knitwear-forward brand he launched in 2020. He’ll continue to operate his namesake label, the studio of which he’s moved from its former Brooklyn base to DVF’s meatpacking district headquarters. In a meeting at the office last week, he was surrounded by mood boards pinned with artwork, interiors photos, and magazine tear sheets showcasing the DVF signatures of color, print, movement. “We all know the brand has hit a nerve with women over the decades,” he reflected. “It has such a strong vocabulary, not just visual, but even a psychological vocabulary, you could say, and I feel there’s so much potential here.”
Von Furstenberg introduced her famous wrap dress in 1974, just as second wave feminism was taking hold and a new generation of women were entering the work force. Over the decades, the dress’s simple, yet sexy construction—slip it on, tie it at the waist, and go—has come to stand for freedom and even female entrepreneurship. In 2024, Von Furstenberg was the subject of a documentary, Diane Von Furstenberg: Woman in Charge, that opened the Tribeca Film Festival.
While the wrap dress is the beating heart of the brand, Zankov sees beyond it. “I would love someone to come in and buy a cotton T-shirt, or a trench coat,” he said. “The thing about DVF is that the pieces all have to be made and designed in a way where they feel really effortless. The garments have to feel substantial, but also light.” His philosophy is taking shape: “I don’t think about this brand as necessarily just a fashion brand, I think it’s a brand about women. I mean, they come first. The person comes first.”
Von Furstenberg, who will turn 80 at the end of this year and now spends much of her time in Venice, Italy, finds assurance in Zankov’s four years at the label in the 2010s. Plus, she noted, “he and I, we come from the same tribe.” Both designers can trace their roots to Chișinău, which was once part of the Kingdom of Romania, and is now the capital of Moldova. Has she offered Zankov any advice? “Diane says it differently, but it’s exactly what I say in my own way,” he said. “You know, it’s about ease and effortlessness and intention.”
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