The Early Life of Gianni Versace

Gianni Versace was a man of great power and influence. He ruled the world of fashion during the late 1970s, 80s and 90s, until his brutal murder in 1997. On December 2nd 1946, Gianni was born the middle child of three to Antonio and Francesca Versace. Gianni spent his childhood watching his mother work in her dress shop. He gained his love of clothing through spending days at the shop. While in school Gianni would draw sketches of clothing in his notebook, not paying attention to his class work. Any money Gianni earned, he would spend on fashion magazines and fabrics. He loved to make clothing for his childhood friend’s dolls. As he grew into his teenage years, Gianni’s mother sent him on trips to deliver garments that she made. Being given the opportunity of delivering for his mothers, Gianni gained the experience of traveling out of Reggio. The experience opened Gianni’s eyes to a greater future in the fashion industry. However, this also caused Gianni to skip out on his high school exams causing him to not receive his high school diploma. If his father wasn’t disappointed in him enough for not receiving his diploma, he also started to notice that Gianni was not interested in girls. Nino, feared that his son was too much of a mama’s boy, unlike his brother Santo who had a very good reputation with girls. When it came to being a man, Gianni and Santo were compared often. In their father’s eyes Gianni was never equal to Santo. This however, did not break the relationship between the siblings, Santo, Gianni, and their younger sister Donatella, who in the future would become a muse to her brother. When things got hard they knew they could always count on each other. As the years went on Gianni knew that he needed to leave Reggio to further his career. At the age of 26 Gianni moved to Milan where he began his start in the fashion industry.
Beginning of an Empire
Gianni began his career as a freelance designer working with major Italian labels such as Genny, Complice, and Callaghan. It was with Genny in 1973 that he was given his first contract to reconstruct their entire women’s line. His task was to take the more matronly look and make it appeal to a more younger demographic. It was with Complice 2 years later, that he designed his first leather collection. On March 28, 1978, after years of working under other designers, Gianni premiered his fist ever collection at The Palazzo della Permanente, an art museum close to the center of the fashion industry. Here many new designers launched their lines, making it the perfect place for Gianni Versace to begin. Months later the first ever Versace boutique opened in Milan’s Via della Spiga, a prestigious and upscale shopping street. With all the success of Gianni’s new line, the Versace family went through a moment of tragedy. Gianni’s beloved mother Franca died alone in a hospital bed due to a long-term illness. Although none of the siblings were there to say goodbye, the sadness of loosing their mother brought Santo, Gianni, and Donatella closer together. They realized they needed to be closer to each other and all began to work for the Versace brand. Gianni, the brainchild was the one with all the ideas running the entire design company. Santo became the accountant for the company, keeping track of the company’s finances, and Donatella played the role as the face of Versace. She was a big part of the public relations section of the company, and continued begin the muse and inspiration for Gianni.
Versace Brand
As the Versace Empire grew and began to develop recognition not only in Italy, but also around the world, Gianni grew as a designer as well. Now living his life as an openly gay man, Gianni began to base his designs on inspiration from the culture and style of the gay community. What came to mind when thinking about the Versace style was fun, funky, fresh and young. Versace designs exude sex appeal. Gianni always broke through the barriers of normal style. Although every designer has their own signatures, when it comes to designing, Gianni when above and beyond anything that was out in store or runways already. Gianni never followed one specific type of style. He tended to break the lines between masculine and feminine style, and often combined the two when making clothing for both men and women. Gianni was one of the first designers to make suits for women. He took the basic black suit that men wore, and enhanced the cut so a woman can wear one, feeling sexy and professional at the same time. Gianni also added different fabrics and colors making the masculine attire more suitable for women. Gianni enjoyed working with different types of fabrics most of all. He liked taking a material that most people would never think of using, and making it into a fabulous creation. In 1982, Gianni came across a metal glove. This inspired him to design a dress completely of this material. When finished the dress weighed 15 pounds and the model needed two assistants to help her put it on. The dress was so heavy that Gianni had to complete it, with leather straps in order for it not to fall. Gianni loved designing outside the realm of basic materials and fabrics. He loved the fact that he was the first in his field to put out a product of that type. He liked having his designs evaluated on a different level, compared to his competitors. A signature of Versace design that is found in almost everything from casual wear, eveningwear, bedding, and china was a gold leaf pattern. Gianni loved how the bold gold color popped off the black background. It was one of the most recognizable designs in the fashion industry. Gianni also used inspiration form Greek mythology in his designs; Gianni liked the idea that all people around the world knew Greek culture and mythology. The logo for the Versace brand was the head of Medusa. Although this symbolized a beautiful woman, who was turned into a monster, Gianni used the representation to his advantage. The story goes; the curse of Medusa was anyone who looked at her would turn to stone. She was a beautiful goddess who was forever cursed. Gianni wanted his consumers to feel like beautiful goddesses when wearing his designs. Gianni wanted people to stop in awe when seeing his clothes, hence having his designs turn people to stone in their tracks.
The Versace Brand and How it Lives on Today Gianni Versace is considered one of the most important designers in the industry, because he helped bring the fashion world to where it is today. A Versace fashion show was one people would beg and plead to get into. Celebrities, fashionistas, and fans around the word would do anything to be seen at a Versace event. Versace designs became one of the biggest worn dresses and suits for celebrities on red carpet events. A Versace design even put some high profile celebrities on many best-dressed lists, and maybe even pushed their careers even further. For example, Jennifer Lopez wore the famous green plunging Versace jungle dress to the 2000 Grammy’s, to attend the 1999 Oscars Catherine Zeta Jones worse a strapless red Versace gown, finally Versace designed a “safety pin” dress which was worn by Elizabeth Hurley to the 1994 premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral, which made her a household name overnight. Singer/songwriter Sir Elton John and Princess Diana were not only Versace supporters but also close friends of the designers. Gianni Versace is a big influence in my own personal style as well as someone I look up to, when thinking about the career I want. He has inspired me to want to work in the fashion industry, exploring all different aspects of the industry. Gianni’s view of women is one I understand. Gianni wanted everyone to dress sexy and to be comfortable in his or her own bodies, he felt that a woman can be sexy and classy at the same time. One of his major muse’s was the prostitute; he took the edgy apparel of the streets and made it a couture look. Though some considered him the designer for “hooker couture”, he still outshined many putting him at the top of the industry. All the research I’ve done has helped me to better understand the great designer. It helped me to accept my own views and ideas, knowing it does not matter what others think. I feel that I can express myself and I hope to one day be as big an icon as Gianni Versace. No matter what part if this wonderful world I work in, I want to help people feel comfortable in the clothes the wear. I want to bring out the sex appeal that every man and woman has deep down. I myself recently purchased a Versus shirt, (a product of a second hand Versace line). The shirt, although expensive, brought out the inner me. When my family commented on the price, my response to them was, “I don’t care how much it cost, and it makes me feel sexy!” After the death of Gianni Versace on July 15th 199 7, the fashion world lost a true icon. The Versace brand would never be the same. His legacy and the contribution he made will live on for many years to come. The family, friends, and fans of Versace will miss him the most. Gianni was and will always be one of the most well-known and respected designers in the industry.