2024 JULY ISSUE
FASHION QUOTE
GIANNI VERSACE
“I want to be the joy to people through my work.
To me, fashion is happiness.”
– GIANNI VERSACE
Written by Andrew Sia
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From the Desk of the Publisher
In this piece of writeup, we talked about an iconic fashion designer, one who was known for the use of bold colors and glamorous aesthetics. Gianni Versace led a very short life, only fifty years, but he left with the symbol of luxury high fashion.
In this article, we lead you through his whole life, and you can almost feel those celebrities he accompanied with—Madonna, Elton John, Princess Diane, and many others. Gianni could have led a very fast life.
I recalled those days at the South Beach in Miami, it was an area that was torn down after it was vacated as the farmland due to the dense mangroves and mosquitos in the late 1800s. Until the Beacon Council decided to redevelop it in 1990 and those Art Deco architectures were revived, and sidewalk cafes served every type of cuisine imaginable, and lively music played at every corner. That was the time when we frequented Miami City.
Gianni Versace used Casa Casuarina in South Beach as one of his residences and he ran across Andrew Cunanan, whose life was a tragical story. Both of their deaths could have avoided if it was handled in the right way and Gianni at the time was enjoying his career was gaining a lot of praises and recognitions.
Today we are happy to see that his sister, Donatella Versace, has been doing a good job and continue to bring the fashion brand to a higher level.
Gianni Versace, the iconic fashion design was known for his bold, glamorous designs, although he is not around anymore, but his fashion house is still powerful and influential in the fashion world.
Gianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946, in Reggio, Calabria, Italy. It is in the southern part of Italy, and it is a peninsula bordered by Basilicata to its north, the Ionian Sea to its east, the Strait of Messina to its southwest, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west. The Strait of Messina separated it from Sicily. In his youth, his mother, Francesca, gave him early exposure to fashion. He often helped his mom in her shop, learning the basics of design and garment construction.
In 1972, Gianni moved to Milan to work as a designer for several fashion houses, including Genny, Callaghan, and Complice. Already at his young age, Gianni shown his talent. It was in 1978, Gianni Versace presented his first collection for women in Milan, also at the same time he made the official launch of the Versace brand. He became the head of design, with his brother Santo in charge of the business, and later her sister Donatella became an important stakeholder of the brand.
The Versace logo is the head of Medusa, a Greek mythological figure. The logo came from the floor of a ruins in the area of Reggio, Calabria, where Gianni and his siblings were playing there as children. Later, Gianni chose Medusa as the logo as perhaps of his childhood obsession.
Versace’s designs were known for their opulence, bold colors, and daring cuts. He was inspired by the Greek and Roman history, and incorporated luxurious materials and intricate patterns. He already engaged with supermodels and celebrities for his runway shows and ad campaigns in 1990s. His close associations with celebrities like Madonna, Elton John, and Princess Diane helped to popularized the brand.
Versace expanded into different product lines, including menswear, accessories, fragrances, and home furnishing. These seemed to be a natural extension for all brands. And all this time Versace has been domicile in Milan as his fashion capital. His fashion show during the Milan Fashion Week were known for its glamor and theatricality and often blended with performance art. He was also known for collaborating with different artists and designers, such as Richard Avedon, an influential American fashion and fine art photographer. His iconic portraits involved celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, the Beatles and Andy Warhol, and also Versace maintained a close relationship with Andy Warhol, who is known for colorful paintings and designs.
His designs were regarded as sensuality and sexuality. His most famous designs included sophisticated bondage gear, polyvinyl chloride baby-doll dresses, and silver-mesh togas. His designs were considered as vulgar sometimes.
He owned several luxurious properties. His New York mansion was listed for $70 million, and his mansion in Miami—Casa Casuarina, became a boutique hotel.
Gianni Versace was openly known for gay and had a long-time partner, Antonio D’Amico, who was also a model and a designer.
Gianni Versace was tragically murdered outside his Miami Beach home on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, and his death shocked the fashion world. On that fateful morning, Gianni left his mansion on the South Beach, Florida for a morning coffee after 6:00 am. He bought a coffee from News Cafe, just three blocks from his home, and headed back to Casa Casuarina. He walked up five marble steps and slipped his key into the lock and there was a voice from behind called him, he turned and was shot two times in the head and died instantly. He was only fifty years old.
Gianni was gunned down by a 27-year-old killer, Andrew Cunanan, suspected as a serial killer and was wanted by the FBI in their Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, who was found dead in a Miami Beach boathouse eight days later. It was believed as suicide.
Several memorial services were held for Versace. The one at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art where a lot of people turnout, including Anna Wintour, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs. Performers like Whitney Houston, Jon Bon Jovi were among the performers at the memorial.
In twenty years, Gianni Versace build an empire worth $807 million at that time with 130 boutiques across the world.
His sister, Donatella Versace took over as the brand’s creative director, and she has then continued to honor Gianni’s legacy, and maintains the brand’s relevant in the fashion world. The Versace brand remains its creative, innovative and influential image and still enjoy the success under the helm of his sister, Donatella.
Today, Versace sale is at $5.8 billion and the state-owned equity fund of Italy is said to have interest to purchase a 20% stake in luxury fashion retailer Gianni Versace. The acquisition would also be backed by Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund would have valued the Versace brand at $5.76 billion.
It was in 2018, Michael Kors acquired the Italian brand for more than $2 billion following decades of ownership by the Versace family. Michael Kors shifted Versace, and Jimmy Choo into his parent company Capri Holdings. it is currently acquiring Tapestry, who owns Coach New York and Kate Spade, and waiting for approval from regulators.
The quote from Gianni Versace which I have picked as, “I want to be the joy to people through my work. To me, fashion is happiness.”
Somehow while I was trying to look for Gianni Versace’s quote, I came across this quote by his sister, Donatella, and I would like to share with you as, “My top three beauty secrets are simple: always laugh; always be yourself; always be confidence.” Perhaps we can use it in our daily life.
Courtesy of: Pinterest Image | GIANNI VERSACE
Courtesy of : Youtube Premium Video
Youtube: Italy - Tribute to Gianni Versace 12 Sept 1997 | 2:18
AP Archive | Original Soundtrack. Designed by Gianni Versace | Jul 21, 2015
Master of Beauty: Gianni Versace | Atelier LeonLeon | Mar 12, 2014 | 22:45
Atelier Versace Fall/Winter 1997 | Cicaedia | Nov 8, 2022 | 20:16
Cicaedia | This was the collection that I commonly refer to as my ultimate favorite. I find it hard not to love the extraordinary elegance, the modern yet historically themed pieces, and the true glamour this collection exudes. Forever Gianni, RIP.