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VERSACE: From Gianni to Donatella | From the Videofashion Library (2009)
This archival segment from the Videofashion Library profiles the house of Versace, from Gianni's astounding success to his sister Donatella taking over the design helm after his tragic death.
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About Donatella Versace
Donatella Versace honored Miley Cyrus at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on May 22, 2026, delivering a speech in which she described Cyrus as "a fighter, a rebel, a force for good" and "an inspiration for young people and also for me." Versace praised Cyrus's integrity, determination, and advocacy for social justice and human rights, stating that Cyrus "champion[s] kindness, equality" and is "one of the hardest working people I've ever met." Versace has also spoken publicly about her brother Gianni Versace's legacy. At the Spring/Summer 2018 tribute show, she described the event as "a celebration of a genius" and "a celebration of my brother," saying that Gianni "always recognized how powerful women are" and "helped women reclaim their own voice and be themselves." In earlier interviews, Versace reflected on taking over the design helm after Gianni's death in 1997, stating, "This is what my brother was alive and I was so desperate to be. And I try to continue the best way I can."
Transcript (19 segments)
✨ AI-enhanced transcript with speaker attribution
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Narrator0:00
One of the defining labels of the 90s was Versace. Versace's designs were sexy, daring, and exuberantly colored. He consistently explored classical and pop art elements, but most unswerving of all was his hunger to explore and experiment with new fabrics and constructions. Versace clothes were a tangible expression of his joie de vivre.
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Donatella Versace0:29
I was born into a fashion family. My mother was the official makers, and you know, it's like oxygen for me. I love doing fashion. The inspiration is women and the heart and history and music. And life is so beautiful.
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Narrator0:52
Versace's success was fueled by his slick theatrical runway shows and the celebrities who eagerly embraced his glamorous aesthetic.
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Donatella Versace1:02
This is a nice combination of feeling quite sexy together, on the other hand, have been quite contained. To be right or wrong, fashion is a personality to express without any fear. Don't be afraid of what you are. That's it. Versace's key from when I started, I always say, 'Be yourself is the only fashion you can wear.' That is Versace. That was a philosophy I had from when I was very young.
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Narrator1:28
In a desire to bring his designs to the masses, Versace branched out into lower-priced lines and developed housewares, accessories, and fragrance, putting his name in every niche of the market. It was a large empire to oversee, and Versace credited much of the success to his family.
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Donatella Versace1:49
We are lucky because Gianni is not alone. And for me, I think we are the organization, the business administration, the general production. We work all together. We are very happy to be three people, not one. People discuss a lot, and everything is very easy and very difficult to work in a family, but it's wonderful at night when you go to dinner, you can smile, you can trust, you can enjoy the family. I think the strength of Versace is the family group.
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Narrator2:24
Gianni Versace's career was cut short when he met a tragic death in front of his Miami home in 1997. Today, with sister Donatella at the design helm, his family continues the Versace line and legacy, while his work still inspires and influences the fashion world.
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Donatella Versace2:44
You have to be remembered. I want to be remembered as a man who tried to break barriers in fashion, to put fashion on the street, to influence people in the best way. But it's too early.
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Narrator3:04
A crowd descended upon the Versace Teatro in Milan to see what Donatella Versace had in store for the coming season.
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Audience Member3:12
Donatella, it's amazing. She's amazing. Gianni was amazing and she's amazing. I'm a huge fan, huge fan.
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Narrator3:21
The spring 2009 season marked the 30th anniversary of the house of Versace.
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Donatella Versace3:33
The silhouette is a very structured silhouette. She's more in the waist and a boxy chest at the bottom, a female structure. Growth is more popular to women today. So it's a very difficult time.
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Narrator3:57
To celebrate the anniversary, Versace collaborated with artist Julie Verhoeven to create a special print of their signature Medusa.
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Julie Verhoeven4:13
I created these two amazing paintings which are photograph and live prints on the clothes. So I worked on a reworking of Versace's heritage and the Medusa logo and the neoclassicism side of their artwork. And I looked at Julian Schnabel's smashed plates work from the 80s, and it's sort of like a little bit of a homage, really.
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Narrator4:42
Versace, what a way to end Milan Fashion Week.
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Audience Member4:46
That was... you just feel like going to a discotheque after that show. And the girls were so sexy, so hot, so full of fun and life. It was a great, true to Versace spirit show. I thought it was brilliant. It was really great. It was very sharp, very good lines, very good fabrics, beautiful colors. Great, really good, great.
Thank you. I loved it. Yeah, I thought it was amazing. Yeah, really, it kind of taps into my aesthetic, but on overdrive. It was fantastic. I thought she did a great job. I love the prints. Yeah, really fabulous.
I don't think of this show as real authentic Versace merchandise, like the way you want to see it. I like the whole zip thing, the way she made it into her heart. I like it was kind of pure rock and roll glamour.
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Donatella Versace5:52
So my brother was alive also for me, and I try to continue the best way I can.