Versace And Everything You Need To Know About It

Versace, What comes to your mind when you hear this word?  Luxury, richness, grandeur, expensive and exclusive haute couture, and surely a Medusa head. Right? Well, behind this famous Italian luxury fashion brand lies a rich history of murder, drug addiction, and obviously “that dress”. Here’s everything you need to know about Versace.

But before becoming au fait with Versace, let’s get one thing straight. ITS PRONUNCIATION. Yes! The majority of the population doesn’t even know the correct way of enunciating the word Versace. In an interview with Vogue, Donatella Versace revealed that most people pronounce Versace wrong. She says that it’s not ‘Versachee’ but ‘Versach-eh’.

 

 THE MEDUSA LOGO

You must be living under a rock if you don’t recognize Versace’s famous logo. A Medusa’s head, but only a few are aware of its significance. Medusa was a Greek mythological figure with hair made of snakes and eyes capable of turning men to stone.

Medusa was used for its logo. As it was reported that Gianni Versace loved the idea of her terrifying beauty, which made everyone fall in love with her. His outfit, he thought, would have the same brilliant impact on people.

 

 HISTORY OF VERSACE 

Gianni Versace was born in Calabria to a mother who worked as a dressmaker. He began designing clothes at an early age and went to Milan when he was 25. In 1978, he debuted his first trademark collection, with his brother Santo handling the financial side of the enterprise.

The brand struggled when Andrew Cunanan, a luxury-obsessed male prostitute, shot Gianni Versace. as he returned to his luxury villa in Miami after getting the morning papers on July 15, 1997. The assassination stunned the fashion and entertainment sectors at a time. When Versace’s brand was “near its pinnacle,” according to adviser David Pambianco. Donatella, Gianni’s sister, was in charge of the Versus line at the time. Took over as artistic director, while Santo remained in charge of the finances. Versace brand’s power dwindled when the management teams succeeded one after the other, the staff were laid off and boutiques were closed.

 

THE DOWNFALL

After the untimely demise of Gianni, Gianni’s siblings took over the Versace fashion house, but it would never be the same again. Versace’s business and earnings had begun to decline by the turn of 2000, and while it still had a loyal following, it had begun to dwindle significantly.

Many people thought Versace’s choice to collaborate with inexpensive clothing giant H&M to create a crossover collection in 2009 was strange. The products featured in this crossover were shockingly low-cost, further weakening the Versace brand.

Furthermore, Michael Kors purchased Versace outright in 2018, a brand that would go on to have a lower success as the years progressed. Ultimately, despite having a substantial influence in the market, Versace’s once-impressive reputation was fading.

 DONATELLA VERSACE

For 14 years, Donatella was her brother’s muse and confidante. Gianni and Donatella Versace were extremely close as brothers and sisters. They supported each other and listened to each other’s advice.

Donatella, for example, colored her hair blond when she was 11 years old. Only after being persuaded by her brother that it would look beautiful on her. Years later, he created a smell that was inspired by this called “Blonde”. Donatella helped him with PR when he first started his company. And also gave him advice on model vision regularly. In 1989, Gianni Versace created the Versus collection as a gift to his sister in honor of her talent.

In 2005  . According to US Vogue, the Italian designer began using the substance at celebrity gatherings in New York and Los Angeles. “It was a lot of fun,” she remarked. “I was having the time of my life. You simply feel more alert and attentive. Unfortunately, things do not continue in this manner. So I just kept doing it, primarily at parties, if I was in New York or Los Angeles.”

Donatella revealed that after giving up narcotics following the murder of her brother Gianni in 1997. She slowly reintroduced them till she had a nervous breakdown. But became incoherent during her daughter Allegra’s 18th birthday party in 2004. She checked herself into rehab after Elton John’s intervention. “I’m adamant that I don’t want to feel like that again,” she stated.

Despite a rough start, Donatella is still the artistic director of the company and has risen to the task of running a very successful fashion giant.

 

“THAT DRESS”

Gianni Versace’s collections were vibrant, sultry, and opulent. Baroque prints, animal skin motifs, bondage-style leather, slashes, and, especially, ultra-tight fits were all used in his creations. He dressed actress Liz Hurley in a notably provocative black dress. For the premiere of “Four Weddings and a Funeral” in 1994.

Several large golden safety pins were securing the dress. It was made of silk and lycra. It had a sharply plunging neckline and a long slit up the side. Hurley, who was then romantically associated with Hugh Grant. Shot to stardom thanks to the dress, which became known simply as “THAT dress.”

 

VERSACE IS THE INSPIRATION FOR “GOOGLE IMAGES”

Do you know that the “google images” tab you see is by the virtue of Versace? That’s correct! Jennifer Lopez received a dress by Donatella Versace for her appearance at the Grammy Awards in 2000.

In reality, despite the fact that it had been shipped by mistake and had a very low neckline Jennifer still chose to wear this dress . The dress garnered so much global media attention that Google took it as a hint that they should add “Google image” as a search option when people search for anything visually and therefore find the needed photographs.

 

VERSACE WAS THE FIRST TO COLLABORATE WITH CELEBRITIES

Versace is without a doubt the company that developed supermodels by giving them tremendous sums of money for each fashion show. Gianni Versace was close friends with many celebrities and royalty, including Princess Diana, Elton John, Cher, Michael Jackson, and Madonna. In fact, he worked with many of them.  He collaborated with others to produce marketing campaigns. He also collaborated with others to create a special music performance for his fashion shows. What’s better than having celebrities as your fans. Right!?

GIANNI BEQUEATHED HALF OF VERSACE TO HIS NIECE

Gianni felt he wouldn’t make it through a cancer procedure. So he wrote a will naming who would be in charge of his fashion empire if he died. He gave half of the company to his niece Allegra, who was just 11 years old when he died. Allegra received her stock when she turned 18 in 2004 and has subsequently joined the Versace board of directors.

 

DONATELLA CANNOT SEW AND NEVER MADE A GARMENT OF HER OWN

As shocking as its sounds but it’s true! Donatella Versace cannot sew and has never manufactured a garment on her own. Something that might be astonishing for someone who oversees a global fashion company. This is what sets her apart from her brother Gianni. Who has loved producing clothes with his own hands since he was a teenager. He began learning the technique with his mother when he was a toddler. Donatella’s passion may not have been fashion. But it hasn’t stopped her from operating Versace with zeal and progress for the past 21 years.

Versace is still flourishing in the fashion world years after his death. In 2012, fashion designer Giorgio Armani wrote about Gianni: ‘Fifteen years after his death, what I remember of Gianni Versace?  ” His amazing exuberance, a joy that pervades everything—ideas, trends, memories, and art—with carefree energy. He was a fantastic artist”.

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