Versace

Gianni Versace, the beginning

Gianni Versace worked from an early age alongside his mother in the family tailor's shop until 5 February 1972. On that day, he left Reggio Calabria to move to Milan, where he initially designed collections for Florentine Flowers. Later that year, he collaborated with De Parisini di Santa Margherita, and his name began to circulate in fashion circles.

In 1976, Gianni's older brother, Santo Versace, who had an economics and business degree and an office in Messina, joined him in Milan. Together with Claudio Luti, they decided to open a company bearing Gianni's name. By March 1978, the first Versace collection was showcased at La Permanente in Milan, garnering great appreciation.

Gianni Versace, 1978–1997

In 1972, Gianni Versace designed his first collections for Callaghan, Genny, and Complice.

In 1978, the company launched under the name "Gianni Versace Donna" and opened its first boutique in Milan's Via della Spiga. Gianni independently controlled much of the brand, from designing to retailing. In 1981, the House of Versace released their first-ever fragrance, Gianni Versace for Women. In 1982, the company expanded its offerings to include accessories, jewelry, home furnishings, and china.

In 1993, Donatella Versace added the Young Versace and Versus lines, and from 1994 the company began referring to her as co-designer for Gianni Versace. Also in 1994, the brand gained international coverage from the black Versace dress of Elizabeth Hurley, referred in the media as "that dress".

Versace has designed for various music artists, including stage and album cover costumes for Elton John in 1992 and outfits for Michael Jackson. Versace also designed clothing for the Princess of Wales and Princess Caroline of Monaco.

Donatella Versace, 1997–2025

After the murder of Gianni Versace in 1997, his sister Donatella, formerly vice-president, took over as creative director, and his older brother Santo Versace became CEO. Donatella's daughter Allegra Versace was left a 50 percent stake in the company, which she assumed control of on her eighteenth birthday.

In 2000, the green Versace dress worn by Jennifer Lopez at the Grammy Awards gained extensive media attention. The dress was voted the fifth most iconic dress of all time and Elizabeth Hurley's black Versace dress was voted most iconic dress of all time, according to a 2008 Daily Telegraph poll.

Brands

Atelier Versace

As an Italian house, Versace is a correspondent member of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture.

In 2004, the brand decided to pull couture off the runway for the first time and, for several years, invited only editors to see the clothes on racks. In 2012, Versace returned to the couture schedule, only to halt its couture shows again from 2017, announcing their couture collections only through photo books posted on their website.

On March 5, 2026, Prada Group announced that Atelier Versace will return to the Paris Fashion Week couture schedule starting in 2027.

Versace Classic V2

From 1990 Versace held a majority stake in VeZe, a joint venture company with Ermenegildo Zegna. From 1996, VeZe manufactured the Versace Classic V2 men's and women's wear diffusion lines. In 2004, the company decided to cancel the Versace Classic women's collection and replace the men's line with a higher-positioned brand known as Versace Collezioni.

Controversy

In August 2019, Versace produced a range of tops whose design featured a list of cities and countries, suggesting Hong Kong and Macau were countries separate from China. Versace apologized, saying it made a mistake in the design and would destroy the offending clothing. In response to the controversy, Yang Mi ended her relationship as brand ambassador for Versace.