For today’s post let’s go back to our beloved category dedicated to famous designers , about whom we have told you stories and anecdotes several times , talking about what can rightly be considered the most famous Italian designer in the world : we are talking about Donatella Versace , who starting in his family boutique and led by his brother, as well as the great stylist Gianni Versace, who then died prematurely, and over the years became the icon of Italian fashion in the world.
Donatella Versace: the beginnings
Donatella Versace was born in Reggio Calabria on May 2, 1955 . After a childhood in contact with the lively originality of her mother, a seamstress, and of her older brother Gianni (he will be the one to propose to dye her hair light blonde, when she is only 11 years old!), She moves to Florence. Here she studies Foreign Languages at university and lives a rebellious life, thinking about travel and career in totally opposite directions to those of the brothers Santo and Gianni.
Life and events, however, will lead her to deviate drastically towards the universe of Italian fashion . Which – also thanks to her – has become international.
Donatella Versace as a young man: the mess with his brother Gianni
Donatella Versace doesn’t like to stay behind the scenes, she wasn’t born for that. But she knows how to do it just the same, emerging only at the right moment and with incredible style. When her brother Gianni calls her to work in his company to take advantage of her great relational skills, she begins to study the world of fashion in secret.
She draws and designs without ever obscuring the figure of the famous relative, but is very ready to emerge if the right time ever comes.
She began to make her way into fashion with Gianni in the 80s, when her brother entrusted her with the direction of Versace Versus . Here the young designer asserts herself for a series of brilliant intuitions, later copied by the other stylists as well. In fact, Donatella proves to be very astute in managing the marketing and image of the brand, giving excellent results on an economic and working level.
For example, to improve the brand image and increase sales, he associates the image of the maison with a series of international stars, which leads to the catwalk. In fact, the Versace maison, starting from the 80s, began to successfully show world-famous actresses and singers, one of which is Madonna, to whom Donatella is linked by a deep friendship.
The face of Versace is therefore associated with VIPs and thus becomes internationally recognized, synonymous with elegance and style. The Versace fashion house thus lands in the United States, first in New York , the capital of made in USA fashion, then in Los Angeles, home of American cinema and of the stars who link their name to Versace.
Gianni’s death and the inheritance successfully collected
But in 1997, after the killing of Gianni, Donatella Versace and her brother Santo are forced to collect the immense corporate inheritance left by their older brother, but without letting go. In fact, Gianni is killed by a madman right outside his beautiful Miami villa, leaving a very heavy legacy, not only from a business point of view, but also from a creativity and personality point of view. Donatella, after a moment of normal stand by due to the sudden and shocking death of her brother, immediately gets back to work. Only two years later she offers her own personal fashion collection to the world. A collection that immediately proved to be very successful.
Donatella Versace: between private life, TV and interior design
In private life, Donatella Versace is linked to the model Paul Beck, with whom she has two children: Allegra in 1986 (who then inherits 50% of the entire group upon Gianni’s death) and Daniel in 1989. But the marriage between the two shipwrecked after a few years.
In the meantime, together with her brother Santo and her husband before the divorce, but also with her children Allegra and Daniel, she undertakes to carry on the company in the world . But he doesn’t limit his work to fashion creations. He also loves to participate in film productions , television programs and events.
In fact, he participates in a short cameo for the hilarious film Zoolander by Ben Stiller, a joking parody on the world of fashion, and takes part in documentaries dedicated to characters from the world of fashion and entertainment, such as: Valentino – The last emperor (2008), Mademoiselle C (2013), Dior and I – A creative challenge (2014) and Gaga: Five Foot Two (2017).
Her liveliness, outgoing and dynamic character make her a character to imitate.
Between 2008 and 2017 she won five awards for the originality of her creations which are adored by the most famous women in the world. But she also designs the furniture for the Burj al-Arab hotel in Dubai and even the structure of an entire tourist complex in Australia, Palazzo Versace , on the Gold Coast of the state of Queensland!
Women love Donatella
The worldwide exploit for Donatella Versace comes in 2000 , immediately after the revelation of her first collection of clothes. In fact, she creates for Jennifer Lopez the seductive and transparent Jungle Dress , which imitates the branches of a forest, which barely hide the curves of the beautiful American singer and actress. Scandal and success bear the name of Donatella in the world of stars and entertainment worldwide.
Women like Madonna and Demi Moore, Christina Aguilera and Beyonce will dress with her beautiful dresses . Courtney Love , Lady Gaga and several ladies of the English royal family also love to dress Donatella .
In this regard, one of his collections was also exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 2002, on the occasion of an international celebration dedicated to the Italian fashion house.
But Donatella Versace’s style is also loved by “ordinary” women. While not all being able to buy her creations, they imitate them as best they can.
Arab ladies wear her dresses under the dark veil imposed by law… because wearing Donatella Versace means feeling truly special women.
In September 2018 the Versace company was finally sold to the Michael Kors Limited group and in January 2019, Gianni Versace Srl became part of the Capri Holdings Limited group, creating a new luxury group together with Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo. Donatella’s daughter Allegra still holds a stake in the family business together with Donatella, who is still in charge of the creative side of the maison.
