Gianni Versace worked from an early age alongside his mother in the family tailor's shop until February 5, 1972. On that day, he left Reggio Calabria to move to Milan, where he initially designed collections for Florentine Flowers. Later that year, he collaborated with De Parisini di Santa Margherita, and his name began to circulate in fashion circles.
In1976, Gianni's older brother, Santo Versace, who had an economics and business degree and an office in Messina, joined him in Milan. Together with Claudio Luti, they decided to open a company bearing Gianni's name. By March 1978, the first Versace collection was showcased at La Permanente in Milan, garnering great appreciation.
In 1972, Gianni Versace designed his first collections for Callaghan, Genny, and Complice.
In 1978, the company launched under the name "Gianni Versace Donna”[12] and opened its first boutique in Milan's Via della Spiga.[13][14] Gianni independently controlled much of the brand, from designing to retailing.[7] In 1981, the House of Versace released their first-ever fragrance, Gianni Versace for Women. In 1982, the company expanded its offerings to include accessories, jewelry, home furnishings, and china.[15]
In 1993, Donatella Versace added the Young Versace and Versus lines,[12] and from 1994 the company began referring to her as co-designer for Gianni Versace.[16] Also in 1994, the brand gained international coverage from the black Versace dress of Elizabeth Hurley, referred in the media as "that dress".[17][18][19]
After the murder of Gianni Versace in 1997, his sister Donatella, formerly vice-president, took over as creative director, and his older brother Santo Versace became CEO.[20] Donatella's daughter Allegra Versace was left a 50 percent stake in the company, which she assumed control of on her eighteenth birthday.[21][22][23]
In 2000, Versace began its effort to take control of all aspects of producing and selling its merchandise.[24] With the company's profits in decline in the early 2000s,[21][25]Fabio Massimo Cacciatori was hired as interim CEO to reorganise and restructure Versace Group in 2003.[26] Cacciatori resigned in December 2003 due to "disputes with the Versace family".[26] In 2004, Giancarlo di Risio from IT Holding became CEO, until he resigned in 2009 due to disagreements with Donatella.[27][28][29] In May 2016, the Versace Group appointed Jonathan Akeroyd as CEO and board member.[30]
In September 2018, Michael Kors offered to buy Versace for two billion euros.[34] Versace announced all Blackstone and Versace family shares were sold to Michael Kors Limited.[35] The acquisition was completed in December 2018, with Donatella Versace remaining head of creative design.[36] In January 2019, Gianni Versace S.r.l. joined Capri Holdings, forming a new global fashion luxury group alongside Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo.[35][37]
In 2018, Versace stopped using fur in its products and in 2020 announced it would stop using kangaroo leather.[38] In October 2018, Versace announced its first Pre-Fall season show in New York, scheduled on Gianni Versace's 2 December birthdate.[39] In 2021, Versace opened its first SoHo, New York boutique.[40]
In 2004, Versace – which as an Italian house is a correspondent member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture –[41] decided to pull couture off the runway for the first time and, for several years, invited only editors to see the clothes on racks. In 2012, Versace returned to the couture schedule,[42] only to halt its couture shows again from 2017.[41][43]
From 1990, Versace held a majority stake in VeZe, a joint venture company with Ermenegildo Zegna. From 1996, VeZe manufactured the Versace Classic V2 men’s and women’s wear diffusion lines.[44] In 2004, the company decided to cancel the Versace Classic women’s collection and replace the men’s line with a higher-positioned brand known as Versace Collezioni.[45]
In 2009, Versace entered into a licensing agreement with Gruppo Facchini for the young line VJC Versace starting with the spring/summer 2010 season. Under the agreement, Gruppo Facchini manufactured and distributed the brand’s apparel and accessories collections for men and women.[46]
In 2006, Gianni Versace S.r.l. collaborated with Lamborghini to produce the Lamborghini Murciélago LP640 Versace. The car included a Versace-designed white satin interior with Versace's logo embroidered into the seats. The car was available in black or white and came with a luggage set, driving shoes, and driving gloves. Only ten units were produced.[47]
The Versace boutique in Milan, ItalyAshtray (22 cm × 22 cm) designed by Versace and produced by German porcelain company Rosenthal
In 2008, Versace collaborated with AgustaWestland to create the AgustaWestland AW109 Grand Versace VIP luxury helicopter, including a Versace leather interior and Versace-designed exterior.[48][49]
In 2009, Versace and H&M released a new line for H&M's stores, including men's and women's clothing and home items, such as pillows and blankets.[50]
In 2015, Versace collaborated with dancer Lil Buck to release a line of sneakers.[51]
In 2018, Ronnie Fieg and Donatella Versace debuted their Kith x Versace collection, featuring a modified medusa logo with "KITH" written over its eyes.[53]
In 2019, Versace collaborated with Turkish Airlines to provide amenity kits to business class passengers on long-haul flights. The kits came in separately styled bags for men and women and featured the Versace Eros line of products for men and Versace Eros pour Femme products for women.[54]
Versace Men's Fall 2019 collection featured several items with the logo of Ford Motor Company. According to the fashion house, the two companies joined forces to channel "the excitement of buying your first car."[55]
In September 2021, Versace presented a joint fashion show with Fendi, titled "The Swap",[56] consisting of two collections: Fendi's vision for Versace and Versace's vision for Fendi.[57] This marked the first time two artistic directors of brands in different fashion groups designed collections for each other.[58]
In 2023, Versace and Dua Lipa collaborated to produce a women's collection called 'La Vacanza' which includes beachwear-inspired designs.[60][61] It was planned to be unveiled and presented at the Cannes Film Festival on 23 May 2023 and to be available for delivery immediately after the festival.[62]
Donatella Versace enlisted music from South African gqom duo, FAKA's "Amaqhawe" extended play as the runway soundtrack for the Versace Men's Spring-Summer 2019, collection.[63]
Versace has always counted important public figures and celebrities among its clients. Between 1980 and 1983, Loretta Goggi was the first Italian artist to flaunt outfits signed by Gianni Versace, which she wore on many public and television occasions.[64]Elton John, who has a strong connection to the Versace family, has consistently worn Versace jewelry, just as Lady Diana often wore the designer's clothing. Lady Diana shared a close friendship with Gianni Versace and relied on him for various events.[65] Other celebrities who have worn Versace at public events include Beyoncé, Cindy Crawford (who famously wore the red dress in 1991), Elizabeth Hurley (who wore the famous Safety Pin Dress in 1994), and Jennifer Lopez (who wore the iconic Jungle Dress in 2000) and often chooses the fashion house for her social engagements.[66]
In July 2011, Lady Gaga exclusively wore vintage outfits, the latest collection's garments, and accessories from the brand for an entire month. She also donned a Versace ensemble in the music video for "The Edge of Glory".[67][68]
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.
Versace was one of the first fashion houses to launch home interiors in 1992, first focused on textiles and later porcelain tableware collections.[91] After having previously manufactured internally, Versace entered into an licensing agreement in 2020 with Lifestyle Design Group, the Italian home design division of Haworth Group, to produce and distribute the Versace Home furniture.[91]
Soheil Abedian, of Sunland Group, approached Versace in 1997, proposing a luxury hotel built for the Versace brand. The first Palazzo Versace opened on Australia's Gold Coast on 15 September 2000.[92][93] The hotel was sold to a Chinese consortium in December 2012.[94][95] The second Palazzo, the Palazzo Versace Dubai, was completed in December 2015 and is located on the foreshore of Dubai Creek.[96] A third Palazzo, the Palazzo Versace Macau, is under construction as part of a partnership with Macau's largest casino operator SJM Holdings.[97][98][99] The Palazzo Versace hotels are the world's first fashion-branded hotels.[100]
In 2015, Versace partnered with Mind Group. The companies designed luxury residential towers in China called the Versace Residencies. The goal of the creators was to combine Versace's luxury home elements with elements of traditional Chinese culture.[101]
Also in 2015, Versace partnered with the ABIL Group in India to develop another luxury residential project, located in South Mumbai.[102]
In 2004, Versace sold its Swiss watch subsidiary Versace SA for an undisclosed price to Timex. The subsidiary was renamed Vertime SA and initially held an eight-year license to produce Versace-brand watches, jewelry and writing instruments.[45]
Since 2003, Versace has been licensing the development, production and worldwide distribution of sunglasses and prescription frames under its Versace brand to Luxottica.[103]
In August 2019, Versace produced a range of tops suggesting Hong Kong and Macau were separate countries. Versace apologized, saying it made a mistake in the design and would destroy the offending clothing.[105] In response to the controversy, Yang Mi ended her relationship as brand ambassador for Versace.[106]
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