Inside the iconic Versace family's journey through fame, tragedy, and resilience
Gianni Versace was born in December 1946 in Calabria, Italy, into a family with an entrepreneurial seamstress as its matriarch.
Francesca Versace — the mother of Gianni, his sister Donatella, and his brother Santo — had very little money in Calabria but used what she had to start an atelier, Donatella told The New Yorker. Gianni grew up watching her work and designed his first dress at age 10, according to WWD.
Source: The New Yorker, WWD
In 1972, after he graduated from high school, Gianni moved to Milan to work under various designers, one of whom was Mario Valentino.
Source: Encyclopådia Britannica
Six years later, in 1978, Gianni started his own fashion company, Gianni Versace S.p.A. Donatella moved to Milan to be with him, learn from him, and serve as his muse. She began to help with clothing design as well.
Source: Encyclopådia Britannica
When it came to fashion shows, Gianni pioneered the concept of filling the front row with celebrities and industry "it" people. Friends such as Elton John and Madonna always attended his shows ...
Source: Encyclopådia Britannica, GQ
... and he paid top models such as Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, and Cindy Crawford so much that the word "supermodel" was invented just for them.
Source: Encyclopådia Britannica, GQ
The Versace brand became synonymous with tasteful sexy luxury wear. The gown Gianni designed for Elizabeth Hurley in the 1990s made her the topic of conversation at the time, and her acting career took off after that moment.
Source: WWD
In 1994, Donatella became the head designer of Versace's Versus line — a sort of experimental line that would challenge fashion norms at the time. The line later saw collaborations from the likes of designers Christopher Kane and JW Anderson.
Source: The New Yorker, Business of Fashion
Little by little, Versace became more of a lifestyle brand, selling everything from bedsheets to tableware.
The brand was arguably at its peak in the mid '90s. It had become iconic with its loud prints and Medusa mascot.
Source: CR Fashion Book, The Guardian
But then, on July 15, 1997, Gianni was killed outside his home in Miami. He was 50 years old.
As the designer for his eponymous fashion house, Gianni left behind a giant legacy. He's been called a legend and a genius by many.
Source: The New Yorker, GQ
Before he was shot by the serial killer Andrew Cunanan, Gianni was treated for a rare inner-ear cancer. The treatment was successful, but during treatment, he prepared a last will and testament in case he died.
Source: Ssense, The New Yorker
The will confirmed Donatella's 20% stake in the fashion company — she was already serving as the company's creative director and became the artistic director after Gianni's death.
Source: Ssense, The New York Times
Their brother, Santo Versace, who was already serving as president of the company and later became chairman, received a 30% stake in the company.
Source: Refinery29, Ssense, The New York Times, Bloomberg
And Donatella's daughter, Allegra Versace Beck — Gianni's niece — received the remaining 50% of the company, even though she was only 11 years old at the time.
Source: Ssense
Donatella told Ssense that Gianni "idolized" her daughter and called her "my little princess."
Source: Ssense
Gianni also had a nephew from Donatella, Daniel Beck. Gianni left Daniel his art collection, which includes two pieces by Picasso.
Source: The New Yorker, Ssense
Donatella told Michael Ebert and Sven Michaelsen of Ssense that when she first heard the news that her brother had died, "the world stood still."
Source: Ssense
Donatella told Ssense she was in Rome with her children at the time. She was preparing for a fashion show in the ancient city — the show was postponed because of mourning.
Source: Ssense, Los Angeles Times
She told Ssense her two children were supposed to be in the hotel room watching cartoons while she tried to figure out what happened, but the cartoons were interrupted by a breaking-news alert, and the kids "had seen their uncle lying in his blood."
Source: Ssense
Donatella said that was the moment that changed her family's outlook forever. "After that, everything is different, and the past fades," she told Ssense.
Source: Ssense
Donatella became the new face of the Versace brand after her brother's death. She had inherited only 20% of the company in Gianni's will, but because Allegra was so young when she inherited half the company, Donatella was in charge of her shares until she turned 18.
Source: Ssense
Donatella told Ssense that this loophole was a "trick" that Gianni had included in his will that kept her from otherwise leaving the company in 1997.
Source: Ssense
The New York Post reported that when Allegra finally turned 18, she asked her family for more time away from the company. She told La Repubblica that she spent time working in the States with other designers and exploring more opportunities outside fashion.
Source: The New York Post, La Repubblica
The New York Post reported that Allegra felt guilty after Gianni died, telling her mother she should have been by her uncle's side.
Source: The New York Post
The Guardian reported that as an 11-year-old, Allegra could not fully understand why her uncle chose her to take over the company.
Source: The New York Post, The Guardian
The New York Post reported that Donatella tried to help Allegra cope with the murder by organizing counseling sessions, but Milan "fashion insiders" told the newspaper that the young girl was "never the same."
Source: The New York Post
The New York Post reported that although Allegra had tried to stay away from the spotlight, the public made increasing speculations about her health as she came into adulthood.
Source: The New York Post, Reuters
In 2007, while Allegra was studying at Brown University, Donatella and Paul Beck — Allegra's father — released a statement addressing their daughter's health. They said she had been receiving the best medical care possible for anorexia and was "responding well."
Source: Reuters
Allegra told La Repubblica she was "living in darkness" for so much of her life after the murder that she had no memories of her time with Gianni and said she couldn't even remember what he looked like at times.
Source: La Repubblica
Allegra told La Repubblica that she loved the partial anonymity she had while living and working in the US. She studied art and theatre and worked backstage dressing actors and models.
Source: La Repubblica
But in 2011, at 24 years old, Allegra accepted her uncle's inheritance and took her seat on Versace's board.
Source: Bloomberg
Donatella said she also struggled after Gianni's death and was addicted to cocaine at one point. She said she was constantly worried about disappointing Gianni and Versace customers.
Source: Ssense
During her early years at Versace, critics, including The New Yorker, called Donatella a mere "muse, mascot, and de-facto First Lady" to Gianni while he was still alive and running the company.
Source: The New Yorker
She told Ssense that she thought she couldn't handle the pressure and turned to drugs shortly after Gianni's death. Donatella told the publication she was in and out of a daze for the following 18 years, which made her even more self-conscious, she said.
Source: Ssense
"Who buys fashion from a weak, unstable designer who's out of her mind because she takes drugs and therefore can't stand herself?" Donatella told Ssense. "Nobody!"
Source: Ssense
To protect herself, Donatella said she created an alter ego. She told Ssense that she created a version of herself that was "cold and aloof, aggressive and scary."
Source: Ssense
In the years after Gianni's death, only people close to Donatella and the Versace family were able to see her sadness, Rupert Everett — a close friend of Donatella — wrote in his memoir "Red Carpets and Other Banana Skins."
Source: The New Yorker
Everett said people wrote her off as being "brash" and a "diva." He said they often overlooked her sadness and hurt, even when she "offered it, humbly and with dignity, in a conversation."
Source: The New Yorker
The death of Gianni wasn't the Versace family's first time dealing with loss. The oldest of the four siblings, Fortunata Versace — whom the family called Tina — died at the age of 12.
Source: Romper, The New Yorker
Donatella told The New Yorker that Tina went to a carnival with her parents, Santo, and Gianni — Donatella was not yet born — where she fell, cut her knee, and contracted tetanus.
Source: Romper, The New Yorker
She said her sister was treated improperly with the wrong medicine and died 24 hours later.
Source: Romper, The New Yorker
"Sudden death is frequent in my family," Donatella told The New Yorker.
Source: Romper, The New Yorker
She said that she always felt like she was born to be Tina's replacement and that her mother "never recovered" from the loss of her first-born. Donatella was born three years after the incident in 1955.
Source: Refinery29, The New Yorker
Talking about her own experience as a mother, Donatella told The New Yorker, "I try to give my children quality time instead of quantity time."
Source: The New Yorker
She said her children, Allegra and Daniel — along with several other close friends, including Elton John — were the reason she decided to go to rehab in 2004.
Source: The New Yorker
Part of Donatella's post-treatment recovery from cocaine addiction was daily morning workouts, according to The New Yorker.
Source: The New Yorker
She told the magazine in 2007 that she jogs on the treadmill and lifts free weights — "but very, very low, because if I do too much weights my muscle gets bigger."
Source: The New Yorker
While Donatella has a clear passion for the fashion industry, her older brother Santo does not. He told The New Yorker, "I work in fashion because Gianni was a talent."
Source: The New Yorker
Otherwise, he said his real passion lies in charity. He said he is constantly thinking of the people who are "suffering" and in poverty.
Source: The New Yorker
Both of Gianni's surviving siblings, along with industry friends they've made over the years, have repeatedly honored him through the arts and their respective crafts.
On the 10th anniversary of Gianni's death, Donatella, Santo, and Maurice Béjart — a choreographer Gianni had worked closely with on operas in the past — put together "Grazie, Gianni, con Amore," ("Thank you, Gianni, with Love,") an opera for Gianni.
Source: BBC News, The New Yorker
"It is the most beautiful gift I could do for him," Donatella said. "He was a genius and a simple exhibition of his designs would have been banal."
Source: BBC News
The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute — in conjunction with Vogue — honored Gianni in its 1997 fashion installation. The exhibit, entitled "Gianni Versace," showcased some of his most iconic looks.
Source: The Met
People have tried to document the life of the Versace family in books and television series throughout the years. Christopher Mason's "Undressed," a biography of Gianni, was scheduled to be published in 1999.
Source: The Washington Post, The New Yorker
While it was thought to be a biography of the late designer, fashion critic Cathy Horyn said it was more of an "unflattering portrait of the two surviving siblings." The Versaces were able to stop its publication.
Source: The Washington Post
But the family wasn't able to prevent the FX series "American Crime Story" from releasing "The Assassination of Gianni Versace" as its second season.
Although Donatella gave the actress Penelope Cruz her blessing to portray her, she — along with her whole family — did not approve of the season.
Source: E! News
Cruz told Giuliana Rancic on the Emmy Awards red carpet that without making a call to Donatella — a woman whom she "likes" and respects — she would not have been able to accept the role. She said Donatella told her she had nothing to do with the show but that if someone was going to play her, she was glad it was Cruz.
Source: E! News
The family stands by its denunciation of the show, saying it's an inaccurate portrayal of their brother's life and his murder. Ryan Murphy, the show's executive producer, said he thought his team was being kind to the family through the show's portrayal of them.
Source: Harper's Bazaar, Business of Fashion
Donatella told Ssense that right after Gianni was shot, companies came to her asking her to sell them Gianni Versace S.p.A., saying things like, "None of your family will ever have to work again."
Source: Ssense
But Donatella wouldn't sell. She told Ssense, "My brother would not have wanted me to sell a single office chair. To him the company was family, and you don't sell family."
Source: Ssense
But in 2014, they sold 20% of the company to the Blackstone Group — a private-equity firm — to help move Gianni Versace S.p.A. forward as a business. In 2016, Jonathan Akeroyd stepped in as CEO to overhaul people's perception of the brand, which was not doing well at the time.
Source: Versace, WWD via Press Reader, Business of Fashion
Akeroyd proved to be a good addition to the team. Twenty years after Gianni died, Donatella managed to pull off what has been one of the biggest comebacks in the world of fashion — so much so that fashion journalists dubbed 2017 "the year of Versace."
Source: The Guardian
She paid homage to her brother's loudest designs ...
... styles ...
... and prints ...
... and she even brought out the women he featured most to close the showing of her spring 2018 line in Milan.
While the Versace family has stayed busy by running the company from every angle — keeping it in the family — they sold all of their shares in the company to Michael Kors' Capri Holdings company in 2018.
Source: The New Yorker, Business Insider
John Idol, the chairman and CEO of Capri Holdings, said in a statement after the group acquired Versace that the Italian fashion house "has represented the epitome of Italian fashion luxury." He went on to call the brand timeless.
Source: Forbes
Michael Kors Holdings — the company's name before the Versace acquisition — purchased Versace for more than $2.1 billion. Donatella will stay on as Versace's chief creative officer, Santo remains chairman and president, and collectively their family now owns the equivalent of $176 million of Capri Holdings in group stock.
Source: Forbes, Business of Fashion, Bloomberg
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