Gianni Versace

Gianni Versace's interpretation of fashion is original, somewhat exhibitionist and brightly coloured. He believed art and fashion go together and has been described by Time magazine as the youngest of Milan's "young tyrants". Born in Reggio Calabria on December 2, 1946, Versace started working in his mother's atelier at the age of eighteen. He often travelled to London and Paris on pattern buying missions and was quick to learn the secrets of dressmaking and design. 1972 marked a turning point in his life. He was called to work for the Florentine Flowers clothing factory of Lucca. By the following year he was working as a ready-to-wear designer for Genny and Callaghan. In 1974 Versace conceived, designed, and helped to launch the Complice label.

A few years later, in March 1978, encouraged by his success Versace presented his first signature collection for women at the Palazzo della Permanente Art Museum of Milan. His first menwear collection followed in September of the same year.

Versace liked to consider himself a tailor, rather than a designer. He knew how to cut and sew the clothes he made. He tried on the men's collections personally and had his sister Donatella try on the female ones. He paid careful attention to the male and female body. The Versace look of the young, aggressive and sexy woman is well-known. He liked to create sexy clothes for his women, skin-tight with low cuts and high slits on the skirts. Versace was among the first to revive the cat suit, to bring back the mini skirt, to show tights worn as trousers, to bring the bustier out at night and bead it. In 1982 his dreses made with fine metal mesh first appeared and were a hit.

One of the first Italian designers to hire world-class photographers such as Richard Avedon to photograph his advertising campaigns, Versace paid special attention to promoting his name's image, also using the top fashion models for these ads. The same models strutted the runway during his fashion shows, and he was the first to use dramatic kleig lighting instead of the traditional overhead lights. This flattered both models and clothes.

Versace has been referred to as the rock-and-roll designer and clients include Phil Collins, Bruce Springsteen, George Michael, Eric Clapton, Elton John and Michael Jackson. He has also made clothes for the Princess of Wales and Caroline of Monaco. In 1982, Versace opened a new chapter in his career, making costumes for the theatre, opera and ballet. He began a close collaboration with choreographer Maurice Bejart. He went on to design accessories, jewellery, furnishings, and china.

Versace reported gross income for 1996 as 1,705 billion lire (exchange rate approximately $1=1600 lire) for the entire group. There are 138 Gianni Versace boutiques in the world, and 345 sales points. Versus, the younger line, has 550 boutiques, and Istante, the less costly line, has 17 boutiques and 330 sales points.

Gianni Versace was assasinated in front of his home on South Ocean Drive in Miami Beach on July 15, 1997. His sister, Donatella, who worked with him for years, took over as chief designer for the company. Her first collections have met with considerable success, both from fashion editors and clients. For the moment, plans to offer Versace stock on the New York exchange have been postponed.