Versace - The Brand Story

In the world of fashion, they are the Italian royal family. Even their logo - “the Medusa is more of an inspiration from the greek artwork.

When you wear it, everyone around you knows it!

Luxury Fashion revolutionized the world in its own way. Versace is one brand that not just unique in its choice of elements but is also a genius when it comes to marketing its collections and making high-profile connections.

Versace is synonymous to bold, Seductive, and powerful, Sexy yet elegant.

The 42-year-old business has been ever inspirational to the fashion community. Since the start, they have designed unique garments that are Unapologetically unique and funky which was quite a risk-taking genre for any other fashion house during that time. Being a family run business gives the brand a touch of their own personal styles in every collection. Unfortunately, Gianni Versace (the mastermind behind Versace )life was taken from him in 1997 which shocked everybody.

History :

Founded in 1978, Gianni Versace Launched the Gianni Versace company in Milan under the name Gianni Versace Donna.

Source : https://www.oxygen.com/killing-versace-the-hunt-for-a-serial-killer/season-1/killing-versace-the-hunt-for-a-serial-killer

Growing up in Reggio Calabria, Gianni Versace spent his early years working for his mother, who owned a local sewing business. This is where Versace fell in love with fashion. His first dress was a blue one-shoulder evening gown at the age of nine. Princess Diana wore an updated version of that creation some 40 years later.

He never studied fashion design but his interest and talent were all about it. When he turned 26 he moved to Milan to work in fashion design, and in 1973 he became the designer of “Byblos”, a youthful line for Genny. It wasn’t until 1978 that he would have his boutique in Milan’s Via Della Spiga, the main shopping street in Milan.

For the past four decades, Versace has been one of the most iconic brands in luxury fashion, selling clothing and accessories that are right at home on the red carpet and are worn by some of the most fashionable and renowned celebrities in the world.

The Versace logo - Medusa

Taking his inspiration from the Greek artwork which is very usual in Rome. Gianni wanted people to fall hopelessly in love with the Medusa head logo.

Gianni probably assumed that his clothes will evoke the same feeling of fatal attraction, and he wanted his clothes were beautiful and shocking, just as a Medusa.

The tale of Medusa is one that serves as a warning against lust and vanity. After seducing Poseidon, Medusa was punished by Athena and made to be so hideous that merely looking at her would turn men into stone.

This is quite ironic as the style which Versace is known for today is more towards seductive yet powerful.

Medusa has become an ideal symbolic figure to represent the Versace brand. It is a paradox, but beautiful at the same time frightening, her appearance is mesmerizing and makes you look, again and again, tighten in a maze from which it is impossible to get out. As well as the design of VERSACE clothing and accessories, no matter how unusual they are, people look at and love this brand every time.

Today, the name Versace and the logo that represents the company have become synonymous with this level of luxury and style.

The Becoming

Source : https://www.crfashionbook.com/celebrity/g26432670/gianni-versaces-secret-moments/

Gianni Versace was close friends with several high-profile stars in the music industry including Elton John, Eric Clapton, Naomi Campbell, Cher, Madonna, the members of Duran Duran, and many others. When these celebrity friends of Gianni began showing up for photoshoots and awards ceremonies wearing the Versace brand, people took notice. Gianni Versace became one of the first designers to link the music industry to the fashion industry, and it was a match that brought rich rewards to the Versace brand. Suddenly, everyone was wanting to wear the same dress that Cher had on or the same belt that Elton John was wearing – and that meant a flood of new customers for Versace.

He was the first-ever to realize that the value of the celebrities sitting in the front row, and the supermodels being the muse can relish the media attention like never before. This started a trend and everyone in the industry just followed these steps.

Expansion

Versace’s fast-growing popularity allowed him to expand into other product lines like fragrances in 1981.

Source : https://www.fragrancex.com/products/_cid_perfume-am-lid_g-am-pid_65451w__products.html

The brand developed several licensing agreements for lifestyle products like home, fashion accessories, sunglasses, neckwear by Ermenegildo Zegna, watches by Frank Muller, a rug collection, a line of porcelain dishes printed with the patterns and designs from the iconic fashion collections. Then he further also designed costumes for a lot of theatre productions.

On the 15th of July 1997, at the age of 51, Gianni Versace was shot outside his mansion in Miami.

Donnatella Versace

Donatella Versace took over as a creative director after her brother, Gianni was no longer there and the brand was at its peak.

Source : https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/donatella-versace-4743.php

Donatella had no technical training as well but she also followed her brother into the fashion world and started working with him from the ’70s. The brother-sister duo was very tight and Gianni considered her as his first-ever muse.

After his tragic death, Donatella got to know that he was diagnosed with cancer before this unfortunate event and he had already persuaded her to take a stronger role in the company. She had done everything from being an image consultant, responsible for the runway, fashion parties, campaigns as well as designing for some junior labels as well.

She is still the creative director of the company and has kept the brand’s identity intact just as Gianni had envisioned - creative, strong, and original. Donatella knew that it was at the utmost priority to keep the brand’s style very recognizable so she has also designed clothes for many A-list celebrities and performers like Jennifer Lopez ( the iconic jungle dress to the Grammys)

The brand in the current times is perceived as an integral part of the celebrity world and is known for its glamorous. , sexy cuts and shapes. The miniskirts and dresses with low necklines are very common attributes of all the Versace's Collections till now. 

Current Scenario

As we know. Versace was very interactive with famous figures such as Madonna, Princess Dianna, Elton John, Tina Turner, and most recently Michelle Obama who wore Versace for her final state dinner.

There are more than 130 Versace boutiques around the globe, most of them working great and adding up to the legacy of the brand and great value to the industry. The most recent ones are the ones in Dubai, Beijing, Jeddah, Rome, and Mumbai.

The collections are available at

•     Website - Versace.com
•     Multi-brand stores
•     Net- e Porter
•     Farfetch

Versace went from a small boutique in Milan to being an iconic brand worth $800 million all over the world in less than a decade. This is something that is not just a marvel, but something that every designer wants and envy

So next time you guys see the Medusa, think of Giovanni Versace and all that it took to make it what it is today.

The house of Versace continues to be as Gianni wanted it to be - Half Royalty and Half Rock and roll.