Donatella Versace (born 2 May 1955) is an Italian fashion designer and current Vice-President of the Versace Group, as well as chief designer.She owns 20 percent of the entire sstock market assets of Versace. Her brother, Santo Versace, owns 30 percent. Donatella's daughter Allegra Versace inherited 50% of the company stock after the death of Gianni Versace, Donatella's brother and Versace's founder.
Donatella followed her older brother, Giovanni ("Gianni"), to pursue knitwear design in Florence, Italy. Donatella had planned to work for her brother in Public Relations, but she was more valuable to Gianni as a "muse and critic," according to Donatella during an interview with Vogue. Through her closeness to her brother's enterprises, Donatella plunged into the fashion world. A decade later, during the 1980s, Gianni launched a perfume dedicated to her, Blonde, and gave her her own diffusion label, Versus, which remains a well-known Versace inner line.
Donatella is the first to use notable celebrities to broadcast her clothing into the world on the catwalk and other public media such as advertisement, instead of using unknown models. Another member of the growing Versace success was Santo Versace S.p.A., Donatella's brother, who is also a fashion designer and the owner of Finanziaria Versace, an established Versace branch. Donatella soon proved to be the public relations giant within the Versace label and spread its name throughout Europe and most of the United States. Donatella chose to place some of her good friends, Lil'Kim, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Courtney Love, Christina Agulera, and Demo Moore, in high esteem in the Versace advertising sector, making them and other A-Listt celebrities such as Beyonce and Janury Jones the persona and image of Versace. Her popularity grew when she designed the famous Versace Green Dress, also known as the ''Jungle dress", which was worn by Jennifer Lopez at the Grammys in 2000, and again when superstar and friend Lady Gaga released a song entitled "Donatella" on her fourth studio album, "ARTPOP".
Donatella is the first to use notable celebrities to broadcast her clothing into the world on the catwalk and other public media such as advertisement, instead of using unknown models. Another member of the growing Versace success was Santo Versace S.p.A., Donatella's brother, who is also a fashion designer and the owner of Finanziaria Versace, an established Versace branch. Donatella soon proved to be the public relations giant within the Versace label and spread its name throughout Europe and most of the United States. Donatella chose to place some of her good friends, Lil'Kim, Jennifer Lopez, Madonna, Courtney Love, Christina Agulera, and Demo Moore, in high esteem in the Versace advertising sector, making them and other A-Listt celebrities such as Beyonce and Janury Jones the persona and image of Versace. Her popularity grew when she designed the famous Versace Green Dress, also known as the ''Jungle dress", which was worn by Jennifer Lopez at the Grammys in 2000, and again when superstar and friend Lady Gaga released a song entitled "Donatella" on her fourth studio album, "ARTPOP".
Elizabeth Hurley in Versace "Safety pins" dress.