Donatella Versace BoF 500 The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry

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.

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.

As the fashion and film industry remembers well, a tragic event led to his death and stopped his career. The assassination of Gianni Versace was suffered by many, most of all by his sister Donatella. While suffering this profound loss, Donatella Versace took over the creative direction of Versace and made the brand’s success continue to grow.

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.

In 2013, Versace announced that Anthony Vaccarello would be the latest designer to produce a capsule collection for the label. The success of this saw Vaccarello hired as Versus Versace’s permanent creative director and the line more than double its year-on-year revenues in 2014 — he departed in 2016. Widely regarded as her brother’s muse, Donatella Versace took Gianni’s place as creative director in 1997 and has continued to cement its reputation for unparalleled luxury.

In 2020, the singer Elodie showcased the Versace brand at the 2020 Sanremo Music Festival, wearing it on the red carpet and for all four of her performances. She also wore Versace on the red carpet of the Venice Film Festival.[69][70][71] She continued to wear Versace and was invited to the Versace FW2020 event. Exceeding all expectations, she brought the same spirit and innovation the Maison was known for into her creations; after all, Donatella Versace has always been the brand’s heart and soul. The Versace world is revealed, room by room, in a succession of atmospheres that speak of its extraordinary ability to draw on different artistic expressions and transform them into a liveable reality.

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.

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