Up Close with Cathy Unruh; Maureen Dunkel

The. Home is a special presentation of w. we do YOU Tampa St. Petersburg Sarasota. Nine years ago a Tampa woman anonymously purchased some very special dresses at an auction. She had no idea at the time hello ding those dresses would change her own life. Forever. We'll hear her story. Up close now. Welcome to up close on Cathy on Rue just weeks before her death Diana the Princess of Wales decided to auction seventy nine of her special dresses for humanitarian causes. Maureen Dunkel of Tampa decided to buy some of those dresses as part of a long term personal investment plan. A few weeks later though Princess Diana was killed in the Paris car crash. Dugald life has never been the same welcome Ari were glad to could join a saying or asking. Let's go back to

1997. You're in Washington. What attracted you to those dresses. Well actually I was here in Tampa. What hotel. No I was here in Tampa when I first heard about the dresses and didn't really put much you know thought into specifically bidding. I knew I needed to diversify an investment portfolio and I knew that collections of some sort might be part of that. And then I was flying to our ranch in New Hampshire and grabbed a Vanity Fair magazine before I got on the plane and it was the Vanity Fair issue where Diana was on the cover and it was all about publicizing the sale. And I read through it and really did a lot of thinking those few days and then I went to Boston I was on a consulting gig on my way back from New Hampshire and I was in a hotel up there and really put some more thought into it excuse me and developed a strategy. And literally on a Sunday night the sale was that following Wednesday I left a message on the general mailbox of Christie's in New York just giving them my name and the message that I was interested in you know

purchasing a collection. And it got started from there. And you bought thirteen at the auction. Tell us how that happened. I think that night I bought 13 I wasn't at the auction and I you know then flew home from D.C. and was in Tampa waltz plans were made for me to participate in the sale. And basically you know my goal was to fi get a collection of dresses that visually depicted the style transformation of the princess from her very early years as a as a royal princess right up to 1996 97. And I think as we all know by now her look and style just changed dramatically. And so I really needed to put those thoughts and those ideas down on paper. I developed a matrix that had the years going across the top you know 82 or whatever through 97 and then the style elements going down the side. Sure. Long dark light sequined velvet you know private public where you know whatever the case may be. And then through the evening it was literally you know check off the boxes and I had to take that

disciplined approach because at the end of the day this was an investment. And a collection needs to be very well-rounded visually it needs to tell a story it needs to have a purpose and so that's really the approach you know I took that night. Just quickly a little bit of background because people might be saying well gosh just by Diana just on a whim not really you've been involved in the fashion industry. You did you own Hollywood justice at that time. You also had a collection I had and I was a collector I had an African art collection. You know I look at collections as investment vehicles. What a lot of people may not realize is that textiles as an investment when purchased properly over 35 year period of time are only second on a return basis to the to the stock market. You know the stock market I think is average something like 12 percent textiles are right behind him at 11. And so I looked at you know this invented this is very much an investment. I didn't know what I was going to do with him at the time. I felt certainly they would appreciate in value tremendously when Diana's son William ascended to the throne

as the king of England. So it wasn't so much a purchase of Diana's dresses. It was a purchase of royal costume and really historical artifacts and that as an investor is what really led me to do what I did. And are you willing to tell us how much you paid for them. Well it's in the press it's very easy I think that evening I spent $670000 us. And then. After Diana died in October I was able to pick up another dress that that was in the 200000 range. But it was a very important dress it was a dress you wore in a royal portrait. So your original plan for the dresses was. To quietly lease them to a major entertainment firm for many years and in fact through August just before Diana's death we were in negotiations and the deal was just a lovely deal actually and it would have been quite nice but things changed on August 30 First of all talk about that in one of the things is what Diana said about the dresses she wanted the money raised from the dress to stage charities. And here's what she said in a Vogue magazine interview in June of 1997. I hope the people who buy my dresses will use them to bring succor and support to others in need so you've

taken the dresses on a worldwide tour and dresses for Humanity fund raising tour and you're raising funds for charity. You started a nonprofit five in one C3 called the people's princess charitable foundation. Tell us about that. That's right. You know the guidance I got because you know my my business was in my background was in business building. You know I had just a couple years before that come off of you know building a company and and helping to take it public and experiencing all that that had to offer which you know I was very very blessed. And then I was able to go out and do a secondary road show so I really had the the mentality in the background of creating programs that you know that did big things. And so when I really had to make a decision you know what do I do now when Diana died I just in my heart I knew any commercial use of the dresses just was not I wasn't comfortable and it wasn't the right thing to do. Let me interrupt like share that moment with us share how you heard about Diana's death and what went through your mind in your heart that you know it's interesting.

I had gotten a phone call on that Saturday night I believe from my sister and she told me that that the princess was in an accident and I said Do you know of course. I didn't really know how to react I knew somehow things were going to be different for me. And about three o'clock in the morning I think it was my mom called and said that the Princess had passed away because I didn't have any TV in my home. And you know at that moment I just knew that things were different and my mother actually said to me you know honey you're 35 36 years old whatever I was at the time maybe 37. And you're a big girl now but I need to remind you that you know what you do with those dresses now is a very important statement as to who you are and what you're all about. And I said I know I'm already there and I didn't know what I was going to do that moment. In fact it wasn't until really the next week when after watching all of that footage on TV about who she was and and how many people really loved her for what she did you know for charity and for those in need that I really felt that people might want to see the

dresses one more time and sharing them with the public you know globally. We perhaps could you know just again take the dresses out of the closet like she did the first time and raise money for charities specifically children AIDS and cancer charities. And that's what we decided to do. So the tour of the dresses where all have gone well let's say they have traveled extensively throughout the United States we've been in the Northeast the southeast the Midwest than than the Northwest What have you Canada. We are in Toronto in Vancouver. They've been down to New Zealand and then before they went to rest in the palace for 10 years there was a temporary six month exhibition at Kensington Palace which was quite popular as well so they've been quite far. Kensington Palace of course Diana's residence when she was alive and the dresses there for 10 years because. Well I felt that you know we built a 50 600 square foot museum exhibition so it really was quite a movement of a program.

And that is a difficult thing to do and it's a very costly thing to do. So we had a couple of choices either to just just arrest them and not have the dresses be seen while we rested and regrouped or we could put them in a place where a lot of people visited so that they would still be available to people from around the globe and Kensington Palace is a tourist attraction in in London for many many reasons and literally 250000 plus people visit the dresses now. You know each year. So I'm really accomplishing the goal of continuing the program without all of the movement and costs and wear and tear plus quite frankly I felt it would be very very nice to have the collection be there in her home. And the former home of her boys so that they could look with pride and know that that collection has done some very powerful things posthumously from a humanitarian standpoint. Tell us about some of the charities that you've helped and what you've done with the proceeds from the foundation. Well we have you know the way the program worked is charities would

raise the money to bring the dresses into their cities you know required. Three semi trucks you know furniture and dress cases and what have you. So it was a very expensive endeavor. And basically we would let the charities just just raise their money around the dresses while they were in their city with galas and ticket sales and merchandising what have you. So we've had that see down in St. Petersburg I know at the St. Pete museum. There was a children's program that benefited the children's program at the Museum here in Tampa benefited. We've had cancer hospitals. We have had our AIDS programs benefit. You know our website lists you know a lot of the beneficiaries on their city by city. But it's been really quite extensive over 30 charities have benefited. And you now branching out and your goal is no less than reaching every continent you say you are using beautiful things to do beautiful things. I think that's an appropriate Monsour really. You know we've started with the beautiful royal dresses of a

beloved princess. And just having that strategic business Milde in mind that I have you know I thought we can't stop there you know there's really an opportunity to do so much more with what we have even if they are staying at the palace you know we have a brand opportunity that is just far reaching. Our program has enjoyed over 100 million dollars worth of global publicity and we know we have a brand that's a magnet for attention. And so if we use that to bring attention to other humanitarians who are doing other important work and assisting the less fortunate. I think we're really just being very effective in using the initial tool that we have what you're doing let's take Peru as an example. OK what you're doing in Peru beautiful things using beautiful things that's our sweater project. So through the Sisters of the Holy Cross outside of Lima Peru we have identified a group of widows who are knitters and we have purchased baby alpacas for them. And then we hired an artist who designed a

collection of Peruvian design inspired sweaters for the foundation. And we're having those sweaters made and we will buy the sweaters you know from the women which gives them income and then we will sell them like any any retailer does throughout the world we hope. And then we will take one half of those profits and send them back as grants to that same group of women. So we have a sweater's project in Peru. We have a. Food for beads project that we are supporting in just north of Kenya is called a Malo and we have a widows program sewing circle in Baghdad that makes just beautiful coats and what have you and my goal now is to go out and find more projects. So you are taking beautiful clothing creating beautiful clothing in different cultures putting people to work. Yes. While they're making the clothes yeah the women who are in need you know these are projects that we're going to get them started in their local areas and then go you know for volume purposes go get the mass produced in China we won't do that you know what's special about the program is that the people making the

goods and benefiting them are the ones in need where the goods market let's take girl again since we're talking about that where will those sweaters be marketed. Well right now they'll be marketed just through our website which as you know is w w w changing the heart of the world dot com. And so we're building that component. And you know I'm looking for a strategic partner now we've hired an agent who is working with entertainment companies and and some very major firms worldwide who may be interested in making a strategic you know investment in our program so that we can then build a more far reaching and sophisticated platform. Now as part of your agreement with Kensington Palace to have the dresses there you hold the humanitarian Rose gala which happens each fall and it recognizes outstanding leaders who share the same commitment that the late princes did to helping others. Tell us about the one that just happened. Oh thank you. Yes. You know as a thank you you know Kensington Palace is a royal household and so I was thanked in a very special way for the

charitable use of the dresses and it was really to hold the events in some of the most historic rooms in British history. You know we had dinner the other night in the room where Queen Victoria was baptized. We received our guests in the red saloon which is where Queen Victoria held her first Privy Council the day she ascended and became queen she ascended to the throne at the ripe old age of 18. And so I thought you know those rooms are so special that I could really you know bring fantastic attention to the people around the world who are really using their platforms whether or not it's their financial platforms their talent platforms their royal platforms or their celebrity platforms to help the less fortunate as well. And that's what we just did on Saturday night. So what you do is you bring those people from around the world to Kensington Palace and you honor them for their works. Let's talk. About all the people that you wanted this fall Tampa well with Tampa I think that you know we honored a couple that I've really admired for a long time and I've

watched as they have slowly done some fantastic humanitarian work and their doctors Quranic Patel Of course from from Tampa and they were very successful in their business and they are what I call strategic investments in the humanitarian fields and one thing I love about their work they're quite brilliant is they may invest a dollar in a specific program and their work touches millions by the way. You know on three continents but they'll be $4 worth of work done for every dollar that they invest and so I felt that their work was very comparable to sort of my mentality which is all about leverage ability. You know we can use what we have and get a little Or we can get creative and use what we have and get a lot and so we're very delighted to honor them on Saturday night. A lot of people know about Jimmy Choo's shoes our producer really was interested in that. Tell us about the Jimmy involved. Well Jimmy Choo I think made a lot of sense because when Diana was alive she was tremendous Jimmy Choo fan. And there was a woman is a woman. Her name is Tamara

Mellon. And in the mid 90s Tamara was in a suit accessories editor at Vogue in London and Jimmy Choo was making two pairs of shoes per day by hand. And tomorrow went to Jimmy Choo and said I think we can grow this you know worldwide if if you let me help you. And tomorrow as background by the way is business building and quite entrepreneurial. Her father was a co-founder of the Dell Sassoon empire. And so in the last 10 years Tamara has taken that brand worldwide. They are not only in 60 of their own branded boutiques they're in hundreds of retailers you know around the globe. But about two years ago she decided it is time to give back. And she and her team. But you know really under her lead conceived a project called four inches and it was to raise money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and their Africa projects. And it's a photographic project in which a 44 very high profile women actresses you know celebrities

sports women what have you where literally nothing but a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes and a piece of car today. Would you agree. And it is really a fantastic project and it raised over four million dollars for that AIDS you know programs in Africa and we gave Jimmie to the award for corporate humanitarianism Audrey Hepburn was on and posthumously. Yes yes Audrey. You know very very special story there as we know. Just one of the most popular actresses beloved actresses decent actresses of all time. But in 19 after her film career and I think in 1990 or so she dedicated the rest of her life to bringing attention to children's causes worldwide primarily through UNICEF and her family flew into London and her son Sean had burned for accepted the award in the King's gallery on his mother's behalf. And and it was really quite moving he said of all the awards this was one of the most moving and most important and he was delighted

so we were really grateful for that. All of this sounds like a real life fairy tale princes and palaces and gallons and humanitarians from the around the world does it feel like a fairy tale. No no it doesn't. I mean it's it's a very interesting position. You know for me there are pros and there are cons of course the pro you know the brand that I'm dealing with is highly recognizable. And in an instant you know we will we will get news. And so we have to be very very responsible you know with that. We have to be very careful with that we have to be very controlled with that. As you know in the world knows you are very very delicate relational circumstances because of the princess and and her marital status at the time of her death and the fact that her sons are in line to the throne for goodness sakes. And so I had to be very appreciative of the the relational landscape and deal accordingly. Which has taken a tremendous amount of effort. And I need to do that

personally you know because that's not something you just hand out. So you know with my family responsibilities and all the things that I do. Of course this is always at the forefront of my mind and I have to be very careful that that happens in exactly the right way. And worldwide events have impacted you you haven't always been able to hold the gala. Absolutely and that was you know that there was a terrible terrible time. For those who don't know when the when the trains were bombed in Spain what happened was you know I was quite delighted we had received these party riots back in 1999 when the transaction with Historic Royal Palaces was completed. And at that time we made the decision you know we're going to wait at least five years after the princess's death before we hold any parties you know parties in tragedy just don't mix in my bag. And so back in 1900 I mean in 2003 or so I started the process of organizing a gala. But at that time it was simply just a party it was a party with a higher purpose and so you know God works and in amazing ways as we all know

and we went for nine months and organized a fantastic gala totally underwritten you know people from all around the world scheduled to go. Lot of money would have been raised would have you and I got back from a ski vacation just three weeks before the gala was supposed to happen. And there was an email waiting for me and so I made the phone call off of that email and was told that the committee had made the decision that because of some of the geo political activity that was happening at the time some of our guests were getting very uncomfortable about traveling abroad. And in fact when I go back to the e-mail I see the date was the day that our own State Department made the formal announcement warning Americans not to travel abroad. So it all made sense. But the aftermath was an absolute disaster for me to deal with because you had you know people who had committed to very expensive tickets and very expensive tables saying we dont think we really want to travel right now. And so that revenue was about to be pulled from this program. Now we had half the party or almost half the party so no I'm still comfortable going. But I

think the committee decided that we had a sponsor who had expectations on what the gala should be. And there was a fiduciary responsibility to do the right thing and there was a right answer. But there was no good answer and it was a really difficult thing to deal with. And part of that made the media in a very incomplete way and so the perception of the project took a hit and it was very very difficult to recover from that. But I think. Keep your head down you have to keep moving forward and just do what you do. And how many more gallows are you planning. Well we have the ten year anniversary gala of the dress sale you know 1997 two major things happened Diana sold her dresses which is considered one of the most significant humanitarian acts she performed and we feel we have a right to play in that space. The space I won't play in is celebrating the death of the Princess which happened just eight weeks later so our 10 year anniversary is not about the death of Diana. It is

more about purchasing the dresses and having this humanitarian legacy to move forward and so that set now for next October 20th and. And you talked about the relational aspects all the things you have to deal with. Have you met Charles and Diana's sons William and Harry along the way. No I have not met them. No. Has there been communication yes. You know there are there's protocol involved and you know remember at the time all this happened they were children and you don't bring children into this process and so I have a tremendous friend and attorney whose name is Wayne Gray's in Washington D.C. He's an international expert and he guided me and really helped me approach everybody exactly the right way. My personal meeting was with the personal attorney of for the for the prince Prince Charles and John Major who was the guardian of the boys at the time his office and the estate of the princess. We met in Diana's office just a few months after she died so it's all been very close to the vest and

ideally you would love to have the boys speak there next year for the anniversary. We think it's quite appropriate you know if Sean have. Accepted the award on his mother's behalf we think that. We know the posthumous award is going to be offered to the late princess herself and we think it most appropriate if her sons could accept. Of course we don't ever want to embarrass anybody we go through the proper channels and make that offer and make that invitation but that that is the direction that we are we're pursuing as we speak. Now the question that must be asked what we tell her in an entertainment show for a minute. Prince Charles married to Camilla. Have you met her do you have interactions with her How do you think it is for her all the celebration of Diana that is ongoing. Well I think that that. It is what it is and I and I have never met. No I have never met the Duchess of Cornwall. I would love to tour her wedding coat it was fantastic and she seems she seems like a

spectacular woman you know and I think is for many people around the world there are married many rich and complicated stories out there and I dont think that anybody regardless of their status is necessarily immune from that. And so my perception not my perception but my position is you know I just show respect and I respect respect all the players in this game. You talk about Camilla's wedding coat that's your eye for fashion when you looked at Diana's dresses WHAT'S IT I WANT THAT ONE THAT one that one. Nothing said that I didn't see them remember. I don't know if you know this but I didn't see the dresses that I have. I only saw what dresses were in the Vanity Fair issue that I studied and I think I got three or four of those and there were seven or eight in there and the rest I had to sketch as the Christie's representative talked to me through the style details and so I really made the decision to purchase off of my own pictures. And again the only thing that was really guiding me was my matrix from a collector standpoint and the elements that

needed to be represented in my collection. So I didn't see those dresses I never saw them until I got them. And when you did see them. I think you know it was a little anti-climatic because I didn't see them for another four or five weeks is when I went to New York to pick them up. But just you know mixed feelings they were they were investment instruments to me and it was before she passed away. So I was very clinical and they were they were OK. Diana had several favorite designers that she particularly like. Yes you know some of them I do. I do. I've had the absolute pleasure of experiencing the support and friendship of those closest to the princess because they loved what we were doing and how we were doing it. I've met Catherine Walker. She showed support by by giving us four dresses that the Princess had returned to her studio high profile dresses by the way for our tour and she's been fantastic Saunder roads have been fantastic.

As we wrap up I just want to repeat it does sound like a fairy tale it's gowns and palaces and princesses and whatever. But the bottom line is doing good works around the world and using beautiful things to do beautiful things. That's our goal. OK thanks for reading my posting and join us I know you're a busy woman I don't know how you do it all. Thank you all for joining us for up close some Cathy Areu. Oh.

Just weeks before her death Princess Diana decided to auction seventy nine of her special dresses for humanitarian causes. Tampa's Mari Rorik Dunkel bought 15 of those dresses as part of a long term personal investment plan. A few weeks later though Diana was killed in a Paris car crash and Marines life was changed forever. Hear her story and how she's honoring Diana's wishes to support others in need. Coming up. On Up Close.