Diane von Furstenberg — Behind the Fashionable Façade: 9 Things You Don’t Know About DVF

— -- There are well-known designers, and then there’s Diane von Furstenberg, 68.

In the world of fashion, she’s practically royalty. And I’m not just saying that because she once married a German prince, Egon of Fürstenberg.

She fell into fame after creating the enormously popular wrap dress when she was only 27.

Today, her brand, named after her initials, DvF, brings in revenues estimated at more than $500 million a year, according to Forbes Magazine’s "America’s Richest Self-Made Women."

And her reality TV show “House of DVF” which gives one girl the chance to be DVF’s global ambassador has been signed on for a second season.

“It’s kind of a docu-series where I invite 8 young girls between the ages of 20 to 25, to come into the company and learn everything, and one of them will become a brand ambassador,” Diane von Furstenberg said in an interview with ABC News.

“I remember that age so well. It’s a magical age where you have so many doors and what doors will you push, “ said von Furstenberg.

“That’s what I will do for them, I will teach them so many things, and what they will do for us is to give us a little input and a feel of what the millennium generation wants and is,” she explained.

But for Diane von Furstenberg, the right door wasn’t always the most glamorous door.

Once upon a time, her career came crumbling down. At one point, she almost filed for bankruptcy.

But now that she’s made quite the comeback, she's determined to use her life experience to give back.

In 2012, Forbes named her the most powerful woman in fashion and the 68th most powerful woman in the world.

And now one of Diane’s biggest goals, above all, is to give back by empowering women.

She’s on the board of Vital Voices, an organization that supports female leaders around the globe; The DVF Awards were created five years ago to honor women who have had the “courage to fight, the power to survive and the leadership to inspire” and her new memoir is called “The Woman I Wanted To Be,” which she hopes will inspire all women.

ABC’s chief business and economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis, who hosts the hit digital show “Real Biz,” wanted to get to know the extraordinary woman who is so determined to transform the lives of others, so she asked Diane the secret to staying young and what time she wakes up in the morning.

Here are Nine Things You Probably Don’t Know about Diane von Furstenberg

1. Biggest fashion fail pet peeve?

Wearing the wrong shoes?

2. Really bad pair of shoes right now?

For all the ladies who couldn't wait until Memorial Day weekend to wear white shoes... Diane von Furstenberg says slow your roll, she despises white shoes.

3. Favorite fashion item right now?

“I love my little gingham shirts,” said von Furstenberg.

4. How much sleep does Diane von Furstenberg get?

Seven to eight hours of sleep. She doesn’t set an alarm, instead she says she wakes up “With the sun.”

5. Secret to staying young?

“Loving Life”, Diane von Furstenberg, 68 explained. “There is no such thing as staying young, you age, but then age is a proof that you are living,” she added.

6. One thing she'd like to do in her life but hasn’t had the chance yet:

Learn to do ceramics.

7. Next big trip?

“I was just in Burma,” DVF told ABC News. “But now I have to go back to Singapore and Thailand because I’m opening a new store there.”

8. If DVF could be any animal what animal would she be?

“Either a panther or a bird,” she explained. “A panther because it is so beautiful and a bird because it is so free.”

9. If DVF could be any Disney character, which Disney character would she be?

A deer. “I would be an animal, like one of those animals from 'Fantasia,'” she joked.