Born on May 2, 1955, Donatella Versace is an Italian fashion designer and businesswoman. In 2018, the Versace company was acquired by Michael Kors Holdings — now rebranded Capri Holdings — for a value of $2.1 billion. Donatella and her family now own €150 million ($176 million) in group stock. As both artistic director and vice president of the board, she is responsible for the overall vision of the house, from its catwalk collections and image, to its global growth and future in the digital world. “Having been at the helm of the Versace empire as artistic director since 1997, Donatella Versace has overseen the growth of the group’s luxury clothing lines alongside the expansion into accessories, home furnishings and hotels, creating a luxury lifestyle brand,” BoF says.
Always retaining its signature look that fuses opulence with rock and roll, Versace is admired worldwide for its men’s and women’s ready-to-wear collections, as well as its shoes, bags and accessories that are adorned with the iconic Medusa logo. His mother’s wildly successful clothing shop sparked his love for fashion. Growing up in this environment, surrounded by fashion magazines, fabrics and patterns, and the influential strong figure of his mother, fuelled his passion and admiration for strong women.
In 2018, the company was acquired by Michael Kors Holdings – now rebranded Capri Holdings – for $2.1 billion. He was credited with introducing the term ‘supermodel’ to the world when he launched the careers of Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford and Christy Turlington; under his watch, models started to become celebrities. Versace Ceramics surfaces are designed to bring the luxury and exclusive elegance of the brand’s lifestyle into all residential and commercial spaces. Since Gianni’s sudden death in 1997 at the hands of a spree killer, all of the attention—and responsibility for design—has fallen on Donatella. Her front rows are even more glittering than they were in her brother’s day, and Hollywood is just as enamored.
An active philanthropist, Versace serves as patron of the Elton John AIDS Foundation and in 2010 was awarded a “Do Something” award by VH1 for her contributions to charitable work. In December 2017, Donatella Versace was awarded with the “Fashion Icon” award during the Fashion Awards, while in 2018 she won the International award at the CFDA. That same year she was honoured as “Designer of the Year” both by British GQ and by GQ China, and awarded the “Fashion Icon Award” at the GQ Awards in Berlin.
She debuted her first collection for Atelier Spring/Summer 1998 on a see-through catwalk held over the swimming pool at the Ritz Hotel in Paris which resulted in instant acclaim from industry insiders. She also focused on injecting pop culture into her designs, notably creating a strong connection with music. Overcoming this tragedy and working with tenacity were among the great merits of Donatella Versace, who brought an already soaring family business to the top.
More than a simple transposition of the fashion brand’s stylistic codes, this project integrates fashion, luxury and living to offer a global experience of the Versace world. The collection speaks of know-how, creativity and pure design, echoing the revered identity of Versace. References to classical art, mythology and opulent decoration are mixed with typical Italian flair and Very Versace non-conformism. As one of the first Italian designers to create all-leather collections, his name became established in the industry when he debuted in 1975 with his first creations for Complice. On 28 March 1978, at the Palazzo della Permanente in Milan, Gianni Versace presented the first women’s collection under his name. All the ingredients that helped make Gianni Versace’s vision come true were in his sister, as Donatella was one of his muses.
She has also received the CNMI Award in recognition of sustainability at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards in 2018. With verve and signature flamboyance, she picked up the pieces after her brother’s death to push the brand forward. The similarity between Gianni and Donatella Versace is out of this world and goes beyond blood ties. Even after Gianni Versace’s passing, the fashion house followed a natural evolution as if the creative man had never left. The history of Versace has been an eventful one, from the beginnings linked to Gianni and Donatella’s little hometown in southern Italy to the rise of Gianni’s fame in Milan, the tragic event in Miami, and the moment the brand found its place again under Donatella’s vision. The Versace Home collection is created as part of a collaboration between Versace and Luxury Living Group.
She was considered his muse as he used to dress her and created her iconic platinum blonde look. After his death, she succeeded him, starting a new chapter in Versace’s history. You can count on one hand the number of fashion houses that enjoy the name recognition that Versace does. Today, under the leadership of Donatella Versace—just as in the ’80s and ’90s when the brand was run by her brother Gianni—it is a universal symbol of all that is glamorous and decadent. Versace doesn’t make clothes that are avant-garde, arty, or untouchably elegant; it makes clothes for red carpet photo calls in Cannes and parties aboard a rap mogul’s mega-yacht in Monaco.
Antonio Banderas has reportedly signed on to star as Gianni in a Bille August–directed movie about the Italian fashion dynasty. In September 1997, the estate announced that Versace’s brother, Santo, would serve as the new CEO of Gianni Versace S.p.A. while Versace’s sister, Donatella, would become the new head of design. Versace began his apprenticeship at a young age at his mother’s sewing business, which employed up to a dozen seamstresses.[9] He became interested in architecture before moving to Milan at the age of 26 to work in fashion design. In 1972, Gianni Versace designed his first collections for Callaghan, Genny, and Complice. In 2008 Versace was appointed as an honorary chair of London’s Fashion Fringe initiative founded by acclaimed journalist Colin McDowell.
Since childhood, brother and sister had shared a special bond, and all the adventures they had together in the small town of Reggio Calabria were at the heart of the brand’s creativity. Even Donatella Versace still says that what makes Versace unique is who she is. Versace was shot and killed on 15 July 1997, at the age of 50, on the steps of his Miami Beach mansion as he returned from a morning walk on Ocean Drive. In the aftermath of the highly publicised manhunt, most of the Versace family, including Donatella, moved temporarily to a secluded private resort in the Caribbean. Three days after Gianni’s death, Donatella Versace mounted her first haute couture show for the label at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. The larger-than-life mogul is credited with having retained a coveted status for the Atelier Versace and ready-to-wear lines.
cuxopvf 