versace

Strong and fearless, two words that best describe the identity of Versace. Gianni Versace was and always will be one of the greatest fashion designers, let's find out about the history of the empire he built! He decided to mix street style with haute couture to create avant-garde designs for his brand.

Versace, a story of passion

Gianni Versace, the creator of the brand, was born on December 02^nd, 1946 in Reggio Calabria (Italy). He was a fan of fashion from his young age. He started working for various high-end brands, in the 1970s. However, Gianni has always dreamt of creating his own brand. In 1978, his dream came true. Indeed, Gianni opened the first Versace boutique in the famous street Via Della Spiga in Milan. He made the brand exactly as he wanted it to be, by controlling every aspect of it, himself.

Moreover, Gianni created Versace’s logo in 1993. “Medusa” who is known for making anyone fall in love with her, according to the Greek mythology, inspired him.

An audacious brand

Gianni decided to mix street style with high fashion to create avant-garde designs for his brand. We can definitely notice the Rock and Roll influence on Versace’s collections.

Versace renews itself very often by introducing new materials such as metals that were not yet seen in fashion. That made the brand unique and talked about.

In the 1980s, soon after the opening of the first Versace store, the fashion house was already considered Haute Couture.

The quick hit of Versace

Versace instantly became famous for its high-quality pieces. Although the brand has always been known for their fashion garments, they also extended their catalogue with furniture, accessories and homewares.

A priceless relation between fashion and music

Gianni Versace was well surrounded. He made the first link between music and fashion. He designed clothes especially for his celebrity friends such as Michael Jackson, Cher, Sting and even Elton John. This is the best marketing strategy a businessperson could ever think of.

Considering, after seeing their idol, thousands of fans would be asking where the outfit their favourite stars were wearing came from. Here is how Versace became a hit worldwide.

The tragedy

A tragedy appeared in the brand's history when Gianni Versace was murdered on July 15^th 1997 by the serial killer Andrew Cunanan. That is when Donatella became a bigger part of the company as she took the role of creative director of her brothers’ brand. Despite this tragedy, Versace didn’t lose its fame. Donatella and her team kept on creating designs that represented Gianni’s vision for the happiness of regular and new customers. A new wave of admiration for the brand was born.

Designs that marked the centuries

Versace’s style and designs are now copied by other brands. The baroque prints are the perfect example. This style came out during the late 1980s and is still remarkably famous.

In 1992, Versace introduced its Miss S&M bondage collection. This collection brought a lot of criticism toward the brand but is still talked about today.

In 2000, Jennifer Lopez wore a jungle green dress during the 42^nd Academy Awards. Nowadays, this dress is still one of the brand's most famous designs.

Many more of Versace’s designs became fashion staples throughout the years, especially with celebrities like Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen or Carla Bruni wearing the worldwide famous fashion brand garments.