THE HISTORY OF ITALIAN FASHION: VERSACE

The history of the Versace brand is first of all a family story that begins in Reggio Calabria in the ‘50s when little Gianni played in his mother tailor shop, where he learned the basics of the trade, because if it is true that in the years of greatest success he was called with just about any appellative, he always called himself a tailor. In the same shop grew his older brother Santo, whose interest in fashion will be directed towards the management aspect, and the younger sister Donatella who followed in Gianni’s footsteps and for whom she was muse and right arm until his tragic death in 1997, year in which she took over the role of creative director of the Versace brand.

In 1978, Milan was starting to become an international center for fashion, within two years the houses included in the official calendar of the Camera Nazionale della Moda shows had gone from 14 to 52, among these a new name: Versace; after long experience as a creative director of other brands Gianni had decided to embark on a new adventure which officially began with the women show on March 28 during which he explored the infinite possibilities of leather, a year after he showed with his first man collection, that was the starting point of a process that led him to revolutionize the world of fashion in every aspect.

From a  stylistic point of view the history of Versace is marked by the eclecticism of the collections in which elements of space and time far away and in antithesis are mixed in the creation of a woman which did not exist before, that is blatantly sexy and glamorous, an aesthetic which deeply marked the '80s and '90s: in '82 invented the oroton, namely the jersey with  interlocking metal elements, then it was the turn of the fabric "Africa" ​​in which a thin nylon thread was coupled to a wire viscose and then treated to obtain his famous transparencies; ‘84 introduced the Picasso’s breakdown of volumes in the clothing structure, from there began the references to contemporary art in the famous prints of Klimt to the optical of Vasarely; for the winter 1987 - 88 he shamelessly shortened the skirts of the managers dresses, the following season he lengthen the jacket producing a near dress dubbed "blady" (acronym for blazer and lady).

Versace’s ‘90s start in the sign of  colors, with brightly colored suits, in autumn / winter 1992-9; in complete countertrend took place one of Versace most famous fashion show, that which was called “bondage”: models appeared on Milan catwalks in adherent black dresses adorned with golden studs, diamond buckles, silk belts and high heels; in '93 also the Versace Home line is created, since over the years Gianni and his sister Donatella have created a real  lifestyle that has enchanted rock stars ready to write soundtracks of their show, princesses willing to fly to Milan to pay them homage, movie star have never been so sexy on the red carpet (above all Elizabeth Hurley at the premiere of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" in the dress held together by the famous safety pins which became a must of the brand), museum directors competing tohost the Versace creations in their halls (the first was in '86 at the Paris Museum of Fashion and Costume).

Il decennio degli anni ’90 di Versace inizia all’insegna del colore con i tailleur coloratissimi, nell’autunno/inverno 1992-93 in piena controtendenza  ci fu una delle sfilate più celebri di Versace, quella ribattezzata “bondage”: le modelle apparvero sulle passerelle milanesi in abiti neri aderenti impreziositi da borchie dorate, fibbie di diamanti, cinture di seta e tacchi a spillo; nel ’93 apre anche la linea Versace Home, perché negli anni Gianni e la sorella Donatella hanno costruito un vero lifestyle che ha incantato rockstar pronte a scrivere le colonne sonore dei loro show, principesse disposte a volare a Milano per rendere loro omaggio, star del cinema mai apparse così sexy sui red carpet (su tutte Elizabeth Hurley alla prima di “quattro matrimoni e un funerale” nell’abito allacciato dalle famose spille da balia diventate un muste del brand), curatori di musei disposti a gareggiare per ospitare le creazioni Versace nelle loro sale (la prima fu nell’86 al Museo della moda e del costume di Parigi).

After the tragic death of Gianni in 1997 in Miami at the hands of a serial killer its up to his sister Donatella, former creative director from 89 of the second line Versus, the task of bringing Versace into  the new millennium, still enchanting just like the mythological figure of Medusa, symbol of the brand. Always modern in metallic materials, shapes and colors, the Versace’s mermaid has become cybor (even on the runways of high fashion).

Dopo la tragica morte di Gianni nel 197 a Miami per mano di un serial killer è toccato alla sorella Donatella, già dall’89 direttrice creativa della seconda linea Versus, il compito di traghettare Versace nel nuovo millennio, continuando ad incantare proprio come la figura mitologica della Medusa, simbolo del brand. Sempre moderna nei materiali metallici, nelle forme e nei colori, la sirena Versace è diventata cybor (anche sulle passerelle dell’alta moda).

The importance of Versace in the history of fashion is measured also under  other aspects, it is in fact one of the brands that contributed most from the late 70s to make Milan the fashion capital of the world, to make it a pole of attraction also through the phenomenon of the supermodels of whom Gianni Versace is considered the be the father: he stole from Paris the most beautiful models and them made stars who exported the Made in Italy in the world: the first was Stephanie Seymour, then came Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford , Claudia Schiffer, Elle MacPherson and others;

They showed for him and group posed for the most unscrupulous marketing campaigns ever seen until, then created by the greatest photographers in history, from Richard Avedon to Mario Testino; all this, together with the continuous mingling with art and the close ties with the best known personalities of each sector from music (Madonna, Elton John, Sylvester Stallone and Princess Diana to name a few), has revolutionized the world of fashion.