Donatella Versace: Queen of Rock & Frock

Donatella Versace worked side by side with her brother, Gianni, to help create one of the biggest fashion houses in the world. When her brother was murdered in 1997, Donatella was left to continue Gianni’s legacy. Today, she's the artistic director of the fashion house and vice president of the Versace company. 

Donatella was born on May 2, 1955, in Reggio di Calabria, Italy. Her mother was a dressmaker and Gianni would often work in her shop. Donatella was the youngest of four children. Her older sister, Tina, died of a tetanus infection when she was 12, leaving Donatella as the only girl among her siblings. 

She and Gianni were nearly a decade in age apart and they would often go out and party together, Newsweek reports, and Gianni would often tell Donatella how to dress when they went out. In fact, Donatella would often agree to Gianni’s wild ideas—in her autobiography, she revealed that she once stole money from her mother's wallet and her father's car keys so the her and her brother could see singer Patty Pravo together.

When Donatella was 11, Gianni told her to dye her hair blonde, Ingrid Sischy revealed in a book she co-wrote with Donatella called Versace. “Back then Gianni was so obsessed with [Patty] Pravo, an iron-straight-haired ‘blond,’ that he persuaded eleven-year-old Donatella to dye her own hair just like his heroine,” Sischy writes. “They both knew their mother would have a fit, but the adoring younger sister went along with her brother’s invention of her new blond look.”

While Gianni was trying to establish himself as a designer in Milan, Donatella was attending the University of Florence. According to the Insiders, she was studying to become a teacher and her major was in foreign languages. During this time, she would often make the trip to Milan to help Gianni with his designs when he was working for other designers.
Before Gianni's death, Donatella was known as his inspiration Gianni and “muse” for his various lines, according to Biography. She was even the main inspiration for one of Versace’s perfumes, Blonde. Gianni valued her critiques of his designs, though he preferred a more baroque style to Donatella's minimalism. "Donatella was a very powerful critic," one of Gianni’s friends, Guisi Ferre, told Newsweek. "And Gianni would yell, 'Donatella, you want to kill my spirit? My success?'" When the company was established in 1978, Donatella became Gianni’s advisor and took on the role of vice president. She began designing in the early 1980s.

Not only did Donatella inspire her brother with his designs, but she also proved herself after helping him plan some of his lines. Eventually, Gianni established the Versus line and give it to Donatella as a gift. The brand was launched in 1989 as a way to reach younger audiences. Over the past few years, many celebrities have been seen wearing the line and some have even collaborated with Donatella on it.

Gianni gave her the Versus line as a gift.

Donatella married model Paul Beck in the 1980s and they had two children, Allegra and Daniel. Allegra was very close to Gianni and was left half of the company after his death.  Daniel received Gianni’s art collection, which is reportedly now worth more than the 37 million pounds it was valued at after his death. Allegra now works for the company, where she serves on the board of directors.

When Gianni was sick with cancer, Donatella took over the business while he was undergoing treatment. “The last two years of Gianni’s life,” Donatella tells New York magazine, “I was going up into his apartment, showing him the work, getting the approval from him, but I ran the company because he wasn’t showing himself. It was like a year and a half I did everything.”

Lady Gaga and Versace have collaborated in many ways throughout her career, so it’s no surprise the pop superstar has a close bond with the head of the brand. Gaga was the first person to access the Versace archives, first doing so for her music video “Edge of Glory,” according to Fashionista. Versace was also the designer for Gaga’s Born This Way Tour. Gaga also starred in a Versace campaign in 2013. Gaga wrote a song for Donatella on her 2013 album Artpop, talking about her signature style and her work as a designer.“I'm blonde. I'm skinny. I'm rich and I'm a little bit of a bitch,” Gaga sings on the track. Donatella told JustJared that she loved the song. At last year’s Super Bowl, Lady Gaga wore Versace for her half-time show performance and Donatella even helped the star get ready, as seen  in her documentary.

At the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000, Jennifer Lopez was nominated for her first Grammy: Best Dance Recording for “Waiting for Tonight.” While she ended up losing to Cher, Lopez left the award show as the most talked-about person of the night thanks to her unforgettable Versace dress. The dress was designed by Donatella for Versace's Spring 2000 ready-to-wear collection. J. Lo wasn’t the only one who wore it, either. 

Spice Girl Geri Halliwell wore it before Lopez in early 2000. In 2015, Google’s executive chairman Eric Schmidt revealed that the iconic dress was the reason why Google Images was created, since so many people searched on Google to try to find a picture of the dress.

Donatella rocked the fashion world when she posed for Givenchy’s Fall 2015 campaign after being then-creative director Riccardo Tisci asked her to model for the brand. "I approached my friend Donatella because she represents what a fashion icon is to me,” said Tisci in a statement. “We thought it was time to break boundaries and give a strong message about how to think [about] fashion." After the initial announcement, the two designers said they wanted to send a message of friendship in fashion. "Riccardo Tisci is extremely talented and above all my dear friend. We are family. I want to get rid of the old system, work together, support each other and make fashion a truly global community.” 

Donatella continues to honor her brother through the brand, more than 20 years after his death. Versace’s Spring 2018 collection is known as “The Versace Tribute Collection,” created by Donatella in honor of her brother. “This collection is a tribute to the life and works of Gianni. We pay homage to not only his artistic genius but to who he was as a man, and above all, as my brother,” Donatella wrote for the collection’s video. Five of Gianni’s original supermodels also walked down the runway in honor of Gianni.

Despite much of the excitement surrounding the show, the Versace family and brand released a statement saying they had no involvement in its production and it should be viewed as “a piece of fiction.” The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story is based on the book Vulger Favors  by Vanity Fair columnist Maureen Orth. Series creator Ryan Murphy told reporters the day after Versace released its statement that Donatella sent her portrayer, Penelope Cruz, flowers. Cruz said her portrayal of the designer is a “personal homage,” adding, “all the love and respect that I feel for her is in the performance.” Cruz also said she sought Donatella's permission and was granted it. While Donatella may not be watching the show herself, it seems like there are no hard feelings between her and Cruz.