The iconic designer and founder of the famous Italian fashion house with the medusa was a uniquely charismatic but also controversial person during his lifetime. We present 5 interesting facts from his life, which you (almost certainly) did not know.
Unlike many Italian fashion houses, Versace was founded relatively recently, in 1972. The official date of commencement of operations is considered to be 28 March 1978, when the first autumn-winter collection for women of the brand premiered at the Palazzo delle Permanente art gallery in Milan.
A few months later, in September, Gianni presented the first men's collection at the showroom at Via Spiga. Gianni Versace took his first fashion lessons from his mother, a seamstress. In her workshop, he sewed dresses for dolls from the leftover fabrics. He started seriously as a freelancer working with other brands, including the Italian Genny (and its youth line, Byblos) and De Paris and Callaghan and Florentine Flowers and other fashion businesses in northern Italy.
Already in 1979, he collaborated with photographer Richard Avedon, though this was just the beginning of a long list of famous names. The peak of his brand's popularity fell in the 90s, during which Gianni Versace felt like a fish in the water (or rather like a medusa). In the Italian women's fashion industry, he competed with Giorgio Armani, about whose clothes he said that it was a wardrobe suitable for a wife, while he himself sewed for a mistress. However, he appreciated and respected Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Lacroix.
Versace
Jacket with logo
PERMANENT COLLECTION
Versace
Printed shirt
Versace
Patterned sweatshirt
Even though Gianni was open for small talk with strangers (which surprised the staff in the restaurant or store), we still know little about him. Donatella, his sister and muse, sparingly doses the media with information about him.
The TV series American Crime Story, which portrayed not only his killer but also Gianni Versace's life and death, proved to be a mine of information. There were also many crime podcasts about the case around the matter.
What was Gianni like in life? How and why did he die? We have a solid handful of interesting facts about Gianni Versace for you, thanks to which you will shine in company during a conversation about fashion.
1. Gianni Versace, Donatella and "the third one"
From the beginning, Versace was based on the family, the members of which deal with different sectors in the company. Gianni Versace and Donatella worked together for as long as 21 years, but unlike Gianni, his sister does not sew. Donatella is definitely better at making profitable financial decisions and managing a team.
In this team, however, there is a third person who has been in the shadow for years: Donatella's daughter, Allegra. She inherited half a billion dollars from her uncle, but does not participate in the work and decisions of the Versace team. As her mother says, "she was not allowed to be herself". She suffered from anorexia for years - in the most severe phase of the illness she weighed 28 kg and ended up in hospital.
She studies in New York, introduces herself with a different surname. Currently, she dreams most of anonymity. It's hard to find any of her private photos on the web. She rarely appears in public and does not run any of her own social media channels. The Ice Bucket Challenge video, in which she appeared with her mother, was the exception.
2. J.Lo.'s iconic dress and other "that" dresses
The famous green Jennifer Lopez dress with a jungle motif from the Grammy awards ceremony in 2000 is not the only iconic proposal of the designer.
Also, the small, naughty black dress of Elizabeth Hurley from 1994 went down in history. The actress came in it to the premiere of the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. The dress was pinned on the sides with XXL jewelry clasps. As Gianni Versace was inspired by mythology, a modern and provocative version of the costume of the Greek goddess was created under his hand and needle.
The third "that" dress by Versace is a less known but also iconic project, the Oroton model. It is the oldest of the dresses, because it was created as early as 1982. Its metallic, delicate mesh-like material, bearing the patented name "Oroton". From the moment of its creation until today, it can be found in many patterns and variants, but it is always a dress inspired by ancient Greece, with drapes and daring cuts, often in maxi length.
In September 2017, during Milan Fashion Week, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace's death, his sister Donatella invited several supermodels from the 90s, with whom he collaborated during his life (Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Helena Christensen, Claudia Schiffer and Carla Bruni) to participate in the show and during the show they all wore variations of the golden dress.
Gianni Versace designed not only for first-line star celebrities, with whom, by the way, he was friends (e.g. with Princess Diana, Elton John or Cher). He also created opera, theater and ballet costumes. He often collaborated with Maurice Bejart - founder and director of several famous ballet schools and teams. Bejart honored Versace in 2007 with a special ballet, written for the 10th anniversary of his death.
Gianni Versace seamlessly combined working for "high art" with effective self-promotion. He was, for example, the first well-known designer who started sending invitations mainly to the stars and his friends, seating the not entirely satisfied buyers in the subsequent rows.
4. Long-time partner
Versace met his partner, Antonio D'Amico, in 1982. In his will, Gianni left Antonio a pension and the right to live in any of the Versace houses. The houses formally belonged to the company, not to Gianni himself, but Antonio managed to get part of the pension and limited housing rights during the negotiations.
Donatella, Gianni's beloved sister, was never close to Antonio - she respected him as her brother's boyfriend, but she never personally liked him. Why? We can only guess, but if it is not known what it is about, it often is about financial issues.
Versace
Patterned sweater
Versace
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Versace
Medusa head sweatshirt
5. Gianni Versace's illness and death
Not many people know this, but half a year before his death, Gianni Versace overcame ear cancer. However, he did not have long to enjoy his return to health. On the morning of July 15, 1997, he went for a newspaper to a kiosk near his villa Casa Casuarina in Miami - although usually his assistant did it. Gianni Versace was met by death in front of the door, on his own house steps, in the person of Andrew Cunanan, a serial killer and fan of the Versace fashion house, for whom Gianni was a platonic love (they once met at a banquet and exchanged a few words).
At that time, Cunanan had several victims to his credit and was on the FBI's most wanted criminals list. Shortly after shooting Gianni Versace, Cunanan committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with the same pistol that killed the designer.
The Versace fashion house, after years of seeming to be asleep, has returned to the mandatory calendar of every fashionista visiting fashion weeks. The consistent, sexy and sensual aesthetic created by Gianni Versace is skillfully escalated by Donatella, who feels the baroque, Italian vibe, and at the same time manages a team of designers, stylists, show directors and other brand employees.
On the wave of the popularity of the 90s fashion for Versace, including glitter, metal and latex and leather is back, and Gianni would certainly be proud of the place his fashion house currently occupies. If you don't have anything of this brand in your wardrobes yet, it's time to make up for it. Versace clothes are a collection of conscious femininity and the use of sex appeal in practice.
