The Italian fashion designer was one of the most internationally successful fashion designers in the 1980s and 1990s. Gianni Versace celebrated his breakthrough with the typical “Versace style”, in which the fashion designer combined colorful fabrics with motifs from Greek mythology into unique compositions. His designs include not only women’s and men’s clothing, but also bags, shoes, jewelry, tableware, home accessories and several perfumes. In 1997, Versace died in a mysterious murder…

Gianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946 in Calabria, southern Italy.

He grew up with his parents and attended school here. In 1964, after graduating from high school, he trained as a tailor with his mother. Versace then worked as a fabric buyer for the small family business. After Versace had established excellent trading relationships with numerous manufacturers, he supplied other companies and furnishing houses with fabrics from abroad. In 1968 he started working as a freelance fashion designer for some of the most renowned Italian fashion manufacturers. In 1972 Versace became a designer at the fashion house Genny, Complice & Callaghan and in 1978 he set up his own company. In 1979 he took part in his first prêt-à-porter show. In the same year, the first “Versace boutique” opened in Milan.

In the 1980s, Versace celebrated its international breakthrough as a fashion designer. At the center of his work was a new and classic line of “op art”. As their most striking feature, numerous creations had the Greek-looking face of “Medusa”, which then also became part of the company logo. In the 1980s, Versace began to produce designs for theater productions in addition to its fashion collections. His costumes for La Scala, San Francisco Opera, New York City Ballet and other ensembles were published in the companion book to the exhibition “Theater und Mode” in Munich. The fashion designer received great recognition in 1985 when works from his collection were exhibited at the Albert Museum in London. In 1989, the designer founded the second line “Versus”, which was designed by his sister Donatella Versace and was on display at New York Fashion Week from 1995.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Versace developed several labels which, in addition to women’s and men’s fashion, also had bags, shoes, jewellery, crockery, furniture, home accessories and several perfumes as well as numerous other furnishing and decorative items in the typical “Versace style” in their product range. Gianni Versace, who had since settled in the United States, was murdered in front of his Miami home on July 15, 1997. His former lover Andrew Cunanan, who killed four other people as a serial killer and committed suicide a few days later, was identified as the perpetrator. The motive for the act remained in the dark. The Metropolitan Museum in New York dedicated an internationally acclaimed retrospective to Versace in the year of his death. Subsequently, the fashion designer’s siblings, Santo and Donatella Versace, took over the management of the company.

How did Versace become famous?

Gianni began his apprenticeship at a young age, helping his mother find precious stones and gold thread to embroider dresses. He studied architecture before moving to Milan at the age of 26 to work in fashion design.

Who was Versace in real life?

Gianni Versace was born in the Region of Calabria (Italy) in 1946. His mother was a dressmaker, so when he was little he learned to make dresses and at the age of twenty he began designing clothes for his sister Donatella – it is said that she was always his muse – .

What was Gianni Versace’s illness?

By: EDITORIAL EL TIEMPO March 08, 1999, 12:00 a.m. m. They launch a book about his life Efe The Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace, murdered on July 15, 1997 at the entrance of his house in Miami, knew before he died that he had tested positive for AIDS.

What happened to Gianni Versace’s partner?

The designer’s ex-partner is now 60 years old, Gianni’s will allowed him to use the houses in his name in Miami, New York and Milan, in addition to a life pension close to 30 thousand dollars a month; however, she has decided to give these things up to avoid getting in trouble with the Versace family.

What is Gianni Versace known for?

Versace became internationally renowned for ultra-glamorous creations as well as spectacular theatrical costumes and innovative menswear design. Versace’s style combined luxurious classicism with overt sexuality. His sensational advertising campaigns featured supermodels such as Linda Evangelista and Naomi Campbell.

Is Versace still a good brand?

But in 2022, Versace’s status as an aspirational, celebrity-focused brand has taken on new meaning. It’s also become a popular label to shop at resale; young people looking for a bit of fashion escapism are snapping up fabulously Baroque, ostentatious homages to more glamorous days gone by.