Gianni Versace
Giovanni (Gianni) Maria Versace ( Reggio Calabria , December 2, 1946 – Miami , July 15 , 1997 ) was an Italian fashion designer .
Gianni Versace, his older brother Santo and younger sister Donatella , grew up with his father and mother Francesca, who were tailors . An older sister, Tina, died at the age of twelve from a tetanus infection . [1]
Career in fashion
As a child, Gianni helped his mother select gemstones and gold braid for embroidery and at one point his mother also sold Gianni's designs in her couture house.
In 1972, Versace was given the opportunity to design a knitwear collection at Fiori Fiorentini in Lucca , attracting the attention of Donatella Girombelli , who decided to hire him as in-house designer of the fashion house Genny and Callaghan . As a freelancer , Gianni then worked for various labels: De Parisi , Genny , Callaghan , Alma and Complice where he created leather and suede collections in 1974.
In 1978, Versace created his first collection and opened a boutique with his brother Santo on Via della Spiga in Milan , where other fashion labels were also sold. This marked the establishment of the fashion house Versace .
In 1979, his first loose but elegant men's fashion line attracted some well-known customers, such as Woody Allen , Bruce Springsteen and Andy Warhol , but his women's line with jungle prints also received great attention that same year. Notable pieces from his 1982 collection were the leather trousers and the riding breeches that combined leather and silk. In 1984 he processed knitted metal and octagonal steel rings into mermaid dresses .
From 1982 onwards, in addition to the regular collections, Versace also produced ballet , theater and other performances. After a famous costuming of the ballet "Josephlegende" by Richard Strauss for the Scala of Milan , he designed for, among others, Maurice Béjart , William Forsythe , Elton John , the New York City Ballet and the San Francisco Opera . In 1985, Versace took over Instante , with the aim of appealing to a younger and less wealthy audience. Gianni launched the Versus subsidiary line in 1989, which was produced by his sister Donatella.
In 1994, the group had about forty stores worldwide, but the conquest of North America through Versus would only be achieved after the label started to profile itself at various New York designer shows and the group spent 8% of direct sales on promotion . This share would be drastically reduced again from 1997 onwards.
Recognition
In 1986, Versace was decorated as Commander of the Order of Merit by Italian President Francesco Cossiga . He received the Grande Médaille de Vermeil de la ville de Paris from the mayor of Paris , Jacques Chirac .
Death
On July 15, 1997, Versace was murdered outside his home Casa Casuarina in Florida . He left behind his partner Antonio D'Amico , with whom he had been in a relationship since 1982. Versace was the fifth fatal victim of serial killer Andrew Cunanan , who subsequently committed suicide .
Many famous people and pop stars appeared at the funeral, including Princess Diana and Elton John , who dedicated his album The Big Picture (1997) to the murdered couturier. [2] Gianni Versace is buried at his estate on Lake Como .
