Gianni Versace

Background

Gianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946, in Reggio Calabria, Italy. His parents, Antonio, an appliance salesperson, and Francesca, a dressmaker and clothing store owner, had three children-Santo, Gianni, and Donatella. He was raised in the world of design, learning his trade at the hands of a mother who ran her own dressmaking business.

Gianni, Santo, and Donatella were not the only Versace siblings. They also had a sister named Tina, but she faced a terrible fate. The young girl tragically died at the age of just 12 years old after she contracted a tetanus infection. It wasn’t properly treated, leading to her early death.

Education

Before becoming one of the top fashion designers in the world, Versace was an apprentice at his mother's dressmaking business. Versace spent much time in his mother's shop as a child. He watched her make clothes and admired the chic women who came into the shop. He knew at a young age that he would become a fashion designer. Versace went to work for his mother after completing high school.

Career

After graduating from high school, Versace worked for a short time at his mother’s shop before moving in 1972 to Milan, where he worked for several Italian ateliers, including Genny, Complice, Mario Valentino, and Callaghan. During the early 1970s, "Made in Italy" clothing was just beginning to surface. Milan had just become the fashion capital and was the logical place for the emerging ready-to-wear industry.

In 1974, Versace created and developed his own line-Complice. Although he wasn't yet working under his own name, Versace already had his own label. Under the Complice name, Versace designed an all-leather collection. He was one of the few designers to feature leather at this time.

Backed by the Girombellis, an Italian fashion family, Versace established his own company, Gianni Versace SpA, in 1978 and staged his first ready-to-wear show under his own name that same year. His brother, Santo, served as CEO, and his sister, Donatella, was a designer and vice president.

Versace became known for his glamorous styles, producing a range of siren dresses that became his trademark. He often used innovative materials such as aluminum mesh or cutting-edge techniques like "neo-couture" laser technology to fuse leather and rubber. The head of Medusa was also a recurring image on many of his clothing items and accessories. His first menswear collection followed in September. The collection was characterized by a stylish nonchalance and the use of pastel colors.

As his success continued to grow, Versace began establishing boutiques throughout the United States with the help of his family. He also focused on publishing a series of coffee-table books that featured his sketches and photographs of his creations by esteemed photographers such as Richard Avedon, who also worked on Versace’s advertising campaigns. Over the years Versace would collaborate with Avedon many times. This same year, his signature fragrance is introduced. The first Versace logotype was designed with the font Avant-Garde Light. The designer began working with engineers to develop unique materials, like mesh and metal, often associated with his eccentric line.

In 1989, Gianni began a long series of collaborations with the theater world. He began taking part in the costume design for Richard Strauss's ballet, which gave Versace's clothing a new attitude associated with free movement and in turn, dance. He also launched his first couture collection in 1989 and added two clothing lines, Versus and Instante, to his business in the '90s.

Versace designed throughout the 1980s and ’90s and built a fashion empire by producing ensembles that oozed sensuality and sexuality. His most famous designs included sophisticated bondage gear, polyvinyl chloride baby-doll dresses, and silver-mesh togas. Versace’s detractors considered his flashy designs vulgar.

Unfazed by such criticism, Versace staged his seasonal fashion shows like rock concerts at his lavish design headquarters in Milan, with groupies and paparazzi awaiting the arrival of both his celebrity friends, such as Elton John and Madonna, and his loyal models, such as Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, and Naomi Campbell, who were paid such high salaries that the press dubbed them "supermodels." Versace was credited with turning the fashion world into the high-powered, celebrity-besotted industry it remains to the present day.

Versace decided to remain independent, becoming one of the few big labels in control of the entire product cycle, from design to retailing. Creative and marketing operations were handled through the company. On the manufacturing side, the company had a controlling interest in its production facility. Control of manufacturing was necessary in order to monitor quality and image. Eighty percent of the styles that reached the runway were produced by Alias.

Retailing through boutiques was handled directly for image purposes in Paris, London, New York, Madrid, and Milan or through exclusive franchising and multi-label boutiques. To smooth distribution, buyers viewed the collections and placed their wholesale orders out of the company's Milan showroom. Retail operations were franchised.

On the morning of July 15, 1997, Gianni Versace left his Miami Beach mansion to walk to a nearby coffee shop to get the morning papers. Usually, an assistant would be the one to perform this task, but that day, Versace decided to go himself. It would be a fatal mistake. When he returned home, he was shot twice in the chest on his front steps. In September of the same year as Gianni’s death, it was announced that Jorge Saud and Santo would become the CEOs of Versace’s company. Apart from this, Donatella became the new design head.

Achievements

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  Gianni Versace was one of the top fashion designers of the 1980s and '90s. Versace's illustrious career was decorated with numerous awards, including four L'Occhio d'Oros and an American Fashion Oscar in 1993. Some of his most imaginative creations could be found in theaters; the designer was often applauded for his costume designs for such ballets as Richard Strauss' Josephlegende in 1982, Gustav Mahler's Lieb und Leid in 1983, and Bejart's Chaka Zulu in 1989. In 1987, Versace was awarded the Maschera D'Argento prize for his contributions to the theater.
  
  An exhibition celebrating the major themes of Gianni Versace's career in high fashion took place at The Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art from December 11, 1997, to March 22, 1998. Versace's designs have been showcased in several museums, including Chicago's National Field Museum, London's Royal College of Art, Japan's Kobe City Museum, and Germany's Kunstgewerbemuseum.
  
  Gianni Versace is also credited with popularizing the idea of the supermodel in the 1990s. He frequently used supermodels like Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, and Linda Evangelista on his runway and in his ad campaigns. They were known as "the Trinity."

Works

More photos

• design

  • Versace

    1978

Views

Versace drew inspiration from the area where he lived. He often wandered among the ancient Greek and Roman ruins, which would later provide him with themes for his clothing. Gianni Versace’s interest in Greek mythology heavily influenced his work as a fashion designer. Versace’s iconic logo is a stylized head of Medusa. Medusa was the Greek mythological figure known for having hair made of snakes and eyes that could turn men to stone. Gianni Versace said that he wanted to use Medusa because her devastating beauty made everyone fall in love with her. He hoped that his clothing would produce the same dazzling effect.

Quotations: "I have a fantastic relationship with money. I use it to buy my freedom."

"I try to contrast; life today is full of contrast... We have to change."

"Women are more sure of themselves today. They don't have to emulate the way men dress."

"I really want to make clothes that are feminine and help women look beautiful."

Personality

Versace's personality was the personality of extremes - he was communicative, bubbly, and loved to be "on stage" in the middle of the audience, earning its admiration. But on the other hand, he was a loner who admired his space and needed peace so that he can work and develop creative projects.

His affinity for loneliness has put up some barriers in his personal life, which he has guarded passionately from the media and public scrutiny. For many fashion enthusiasts, Gianni Versace continues to symbolize rebellious, revolutionary fashion ideas up to date.

Gianni Versace also had a strong interest in theater, with many ballets and operas hiring the designer to provide costumes for performers. Passionate about extravagant outfits and the performing arts, Versace also designed clothing for Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson’s Say Say Say video and Elton John’s 1992 world tour.

Interests

• theater, ballet, opera

• Music & Bands

  Patty Pravo

Connections

Gianni Versace was openly gay. He met Italian model Antonio D'Amico in 1982, just as his company was expanding and gaining continued success. D’Amico cared for Gianni when he was diagnosed with cancer of the ear, and even took over designing duties for his ailing partner. They remained a couple until Gianni was murdered.

Father:

Antonio Versace

Mother:

Francesca Versace

Gianni was raised in the world of design, learning his trade at the hands of a mother who ran her own dressmaking business. Versace went to work for his mother after completing high school.

Sister:

Donatella Versace

Gianni and Donatella Versace were extremely close as brother and sister. They supported and listened to each other’s advice. For example, when she was 11 years old, Donatella dyed her hair blond, because her brother convinced her that this color would suit her really well.

Years later, inspired by this, he created the perfume Blonde. When he started his brand, Donatella helped him with the PR and often advised him about the vision of the models. In 1989 Gianni Versace created the Versus line, that he gifted to his sister as gratitude and support for her talent.

rival:

Giorgio Armani

Versace’s bold, colorful, and sexy designs were extremely popular in the famously excessive 80s, and he had a major rivalry with another Italian designer, Giorgio Armani. Fashion critics described their similar-yet-different designs with a coy comparison. They said that Armani designed clothes for the wives, while Versace made clothes for the mistresses.

Brother:

Santo Versace

At the time of Gianni's death, Santo Versace, who was already serving as president of the company and later became chairman, received a 30% stake in the company.

niece:

Allegra Versace

Allegra was extremely close to her uncle Gianni. When he was shot dead in 1997, Allegra received a trauma that was very hard to recover from and her mother had to seek the help of a counselor.

Upon Gianni’s demise, Allegra became the heiress of 50% of the vast empire established by Gianni, while the remaining share went to her mother and her uncle.

Partner:

Antonio D'Amico

Antonio D'Amico and Versace were together for 11 years. They first met at La Scala, an opera house in Milan in 1986. During their time together, D’Amico worked alongside Versace, designing for Versace Sport and Istante. D’Amico moved to Miami with Versace in 1992 after the couple was together six years in Milan.

Friend:

Elton John

Versace was a close friend of Elton John. Elton John's album The Big Picture from 1997 is dedicated to the loving memory of Gianni Versace.

References

• Gianni Versace: A Gianni Versace Biography
  2019