Donatella Versace facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Donatella Versace
Donatella in 2005
Born	Donatella Francesca Versace (1955-05-02) 2 May 1955 (age 70) Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy
Occupation	Creative director Fashion designer Luxury businesswoman
Board member of	Versace Versus Palazzo Versace Dubai Elton John AIDS Foundation
Spouse(s)	Paul Beck ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2000)​ Manuel Dallori ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2005)​
Children	Daniel and Allegra
Relatives	Santo Versace (brother) Gianni Versace (brother)
Vice president of Versace
In office 1978–1997
President	Santo Versace
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Jorge Saud
Chief executive officer of Versace
In office 1997–2004 Serving with Santo Versace and Jorge Saud
President	Santo Versace
Preceded by	Gianni Versace
Succeeded by	Allegra Versace
Creative director of Versace
In office 1997–2025
President	Santo Versace
Preceded by	Gianni Versace

Donatella Francesca Versace (born 2 May 1955) is a famous Italian fashion designer and businesswoman. She is also known simply as Donatella. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, who started the well-known fashion company Versace.

Donatella worked closely with Gianni to build the brand. They combined Italian luxury with popular culture and celebrity style. After Gianni passed away in 1997, Donatella became the creative director of Versace. She also inherited part of the company.

Today, she is the main representative for the Versace brand. Donatella and her brother Gianni are often given credit for making "supermodels" famous in the 1990s. They did this by featuring top models in their fashion shows.

Early Life and Education

Donatella Versace was born in Reggio di Calabria, Italy. She was the youngest of four children. Her older siblings were Santo, Gianni, and Tina. Her father, Antonio Versace, helped run a family coal mining business. Her mother, Francesca Versace, was a seamstress who later opened her own fashion shop.

Donatella's older sister, Tina, sadly passed away at age 12 from an infection. Donatella was always very close to her brother Gianni. When she was 11, Gianni convinced her to dye her hair blonde. This was a tribute to an Italian singer named Patty Pravo, whom Gianni admired.

In the mid-1970s, Donatella studied literature and languages in Florence. On weekends, she would travel to Milan to work with Gianni. At that time, Gianni was working for the Callaghan fashion label. Donatella's mother wanted her to focus on her studies. She would even make surprise visits to Florence to check on Donatella.

Building a Fashion Career

Donatella always knew she wanted to work in fashion. She once said, "I knew I was going to work in fashion; I really didn't think of nothing else." In 1976, Donatella and Santo joined their brother Gianni in Milan. The three of them traveled to the United States in 1977. They went on a three-week trip to find press and buyers for their new Versace brand.

The Versace brand officially started in 1978. Donatella became the vice president of the company. She worked with Gianni on many projects. She helped with styling, creating the brand's image, and designing accessories. This included shoes and handbags. In 1982, Gianni sent Donatella to an auction. She successfully bought a grand building in Milan. This building, at Via Gesù 12, became the main office and showroom for Versace.

Many people believe Donatella was both a creative partner and an inspiration for Gianni. In 1989, Gianni named a new perfume "Blonde" after Donatella. He also gave her control of the Versus fashion line. To mark this, he gave her a yellow diamond ring. In 1996 and early 1997, Gianni was recovering from an illness. During this time, Donatella took over many important decisions for the Versace brand.

Donatella sees design through images. She once said, "I don't look at the clothes with my eyes, I look through images – a picture, or a video." She is often recognized for developing the unique "Versace look." Donatella worked with famous fashion photographer Richard Avedon. She helped direct his first campaign for the brand in Spring-Summer 1980. She also art directed his Spring-Summer 1993 campaign.

Leading Versace

Gianni Versace passed away on 15 July 1997. After this sad event, most of the Versace family, including Donatella, moved to a private resort for a while. Donatella's brother, Santo Versace, inherited 30% of Versace. Her daughter, Allegra Versace, inherited 50% of the company. Gianni Versace's book The Art of Being You was published after his passing in 1997. It includes a dedication from Donatella and Santo. They wrote that the book was a tribute to Gianni, who loved art and always supported artists.

On 18 July 1998, Donatella Versace presented her first haute couture show for Versace Atelier. This was held at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. She built her runway over the hotel's swimming pool, just as her brother used to do. However, she used clear glass for her runway. From October 2002 to January 2003, some of Gianni and Donatella's most famous Versace clothes were shown in a special exhibit. This exhibit was at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Donatella has designed many advertising campaigns for Versace. These campaigns have featured famous people like Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. She also designed the famous green Versace dress. Jennifer Lopez wore this dress at the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000. In 2015, Donatella even appeared in an ad campaign for a competing brand, Givenchy.

Donatella designed the Palazzo Versace Australia resort in Australia. It opened in September 2000. She also played a big part in designing the Palazzo Versace Dubai, which opened in November 2016. She even designed a special Mini Cooper car for the Life Ball. In September 2017, Donatella Versace created a special fashion show to honor her brother.

On March 12, 2025, Donatella announced she would be stepping down from her role as CEO of the Versace brand. She held this position for almost 28 years. Dario Vitale, who was the design and image director for Miu Miu, has taken over her role.

Donatella Versace has two children with her former husband, Paul Beck. Their daughter is Allegra Versace Beck (born 1986). Their son is Daniel Versace Beck (born 1989). Her marriage to Paul Beck ended in 2000.

Awards and Recognition

Donatella Versace has received many awards for her work in fashion:

• 1996: De Beers Diamonds International Award for a gold and diamond tiara.
• 2004: Bambi Award for Fashion.
• 2005: World Fashion Award as Designer of the Year.
• 2007: Honored with Gianni Versace by The City of Beverly Hills for their fashion contributions.
• 2008: FGI Superstar Award.
• 2008 and 2009: Honorary chairman of Fashion Fringe.
• 2010: Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine.
• 2012, 2016: Fashion Designer of the Year by Glamour.
• 2017: Fashion Icon of the Year award by the British Fashion Council.
• 2018: First woman to be named Designer of the Year at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in the UK and China.
• 2018: International CFDA Award.
• 2018: Fashion Icon award at GQ Awards Berlin.
• 2023: Humanitarian Award for Equity and Inclusivity at the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italia Sustainable Fashion Awards.
• 2024: Game Changer Honor at the Green Carpet Fashion Awards (GCFA).

Helping Others (Philanthropy)

Donatella Versace has supported several good causes:

• In 1993, Donatella and Gianni Versace published a book called South Beach Stories. All the money from the book went to ANLAIDS, an organization that helps people with AIDS.
• She continues to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
• In 1998, Donatella and supermodel Naomi Campbell organized a fashion show. It raised thousands of dollars for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.
• In the same year, Versace held another charity fashion show. This was during the Fire & Ice Ball in California. It raised $1.8 million for the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program.
• In 2008, Versace had its first fashion show in China. This was part of a charity event to help children in China's Sichuan province. These children needed help after an earthquake. Donatella designed a special Versace/One Foundation logo and limited-edition items for this cause.
• In 2010, Versace gave £20,000 to the 20:20 Fashion Fund. This fund helps the London fashion college, Central Saint Martins, buy new equipment.
• In 2021, Donatella and her daughter donated £200,000. This money helped the San Raffaele Hospital's intensive care unit in Milan, Italy, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

See also

In Spanish: Donatella Versace para niños