Donatella Versace facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donatella Versace
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Versace in 2010
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| Born |
Donatella Francesca Versace
2 May 1955 Reggio Calabria, Calabria, Italy
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| Occupation |
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| 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 |
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| 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
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| President | Santo Versace |
| Preceded by | Gianni Versace |
| Succeeded by | Allegra Versace |
| Creative director of Versace | |
| Assumed office 1997 |
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| President | Santo Versace |
| Preceded by | Gianni Versace |
Donatella Francesca Versace (born 2 May 1955), often called just Donatella, is a famous Italian fashion designer and businesswoman. She holds a special honor called Grand Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, who started the well-known luxury fashion company Versace.
Donatella worked very closely with Gianni to build the Versace brand. They helped combine Italian luxury with pop culture and celebrity style. After Gianni passed away in 1997, Donatella took over as the creative director of the company. She is now the brand's chief creative officer. Both Donatella and Gianni are known for helping to create the "supermodel" trend in the 1990s. They did this by featuring top models on their fashion runways.
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Early Life and Education
Donatella Versace was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy. She was the youngest of four children. Her siblings were Santo, Gianni, and Tina. Her father, Antonio, helped manage the family's coal mining business. Her mother, Francesca, was a seamstress who later opened her own fashion shop. Donatella's older sister, Tina, died at age 12 from a serious illness.
Donatella was always very close to her brother Gianni. When she was 11, Gianni convinced her to dye her hair blonde. This was to honor an Italian singer named Patty Pravo, whom Gianni admired greatly.
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.
Career Highlights
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 international buyers. This was in preparation for starting the Versace brand.
The Versace brand officially began in 1978. Donatella became the vice president. 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 won the bid for a grand building in Milan. This building, at Via Gesù 12, became the main Versace headquarters and showroom.
Many people believe Donatella was both a creative partner and an inspiration to 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 special 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 says her design style comes from images. She explained, "I don't look at the clothes with my eyes, I look through images – a picture, or a video." She is often credited with developing the unique "Versace look." Donatella worked with famous fashion photographer Richard Avedon. She directed him for the Spring-Summer 1980 and 1993 campaign shoots.
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. Her brother, Santo Versace, inherited 30% of Versace. Her daughter, Allegra Versace, inherited 50%. Gianni Versace's book, "The Art of Being You," was published after his death. It includes a dedication from Donatella and Santo. They wrote that the book was a tribute to Gianni, who loved art and supported artists.
On 18 July 1998, Donatella Versace presented her first haute couture show. This was for the Versace Atelier at the Hôtel Ritz Paris. She built her runway over the hotel's swimming pool, just as her brother used to do. From October 2002 to January 2003, some of Gianni and Donatella's most famous Versace clothes were shown. They were part of a special exhibit at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
Donatella has designed advertising campaigns for Versace. These campaigns have featured many famous people. Some of them include Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Lady Gaga, and Beyoncé. She also designed the famous Green Versace dress of Jennifer Lopez. Jennifer Lopez wore this dress, also known as the "Jungle-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 Gold Coast, Australia. It opened in September 2000. She also played a big part in designing the Palazzo Versace Dubai. This was the second Palazzo Versace hotel, which opened in November 2016. She also designed a special Mini Cooper car for the Life Ball. In September 2017, Donatella Versace created a special fashion show to honor her brother.
Versace and her former husband, Paul Beck, have two children. Their daughter is Allegra Versace Beck (born 1986). Their son is Daniel Versace Beck (born 1989). Her marriage with Paul Beck ended in 2000.
Awards and Honors
Donatella Versace has received many awards for her work in fashion:
- 1996: De Beers Diamonds International Award for a gold and diamond tiara design.
- 2004: Bambi Award for Fashion.
- 2005: World Fashion Award as Designer of the Year at the Women's World Awards.
- 2007: Honored with Gianni Versace by Beverly Hills for their fashion contributions. They received a Rodeo Drive Walk of Style Award.
- 2008: FGI Superstar Award.
- 2008 and 2009: Honorary chairman of Fashion Fringe.
- 2010: Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine.
- 2012: Speaker at the Oxford Union.
- 2012 and 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 been involved in many charitable causes. In 1993, Donatella and Gianni Versace published a book called South Beach Stories. All the money from this book was given to ANLAIDS, an organization that helps people with AIDS. Donatella continues to support the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
In 1998, Donatella worked with supermodel Naomi Campbell. They organized a special fashion show to raise money for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund. This event raised thousands of dollars for the charity. In the same year, Versace held another charity fashion show. This was during the Fire & Ice Ball in California. It raised funds for the Revlon/UCLA Women's Cancer Research Program. The ball collected $1.8 million for this cause.
In 2008, Versace held its first fashion show in China. This was part of a charity auction and dinner. It was a year-long partnership to benefit the Jet Li One Foundation. The goal was to open centers for children needing help after a big earthquake in China's Sichuan province. Donatella designed a special Versace/One Foundation logo and limited-edition items for this project.
In 2010, Versace gave £20,000 to the 20:20 Fashion Fund. This fund helps the London fashion college, Central Saint Martins. The money was used to buy new equipment for the college.
See also
In Spanish: Donatella Versace para niños
