The Medusa, Gianni Versace’s Greatest Inspiration
Brief History of Versace
In the roaring 70s, Gianni Versace designed his nascent collection for Callaghan, Complice and Genny. The company, in 1978, launched under the title of “Gianni Versace Donna”. In the same year, in Milan, the first Versace boutique opened at the Via Della Spiga. From here, the unassuming Italian designer shot to fame and earned more than a name in the world of haute couture. Versace’s designs are brash, bright and scream “loud” in the most stylish of ways. They are enigmatic and elegant, both at the same time. Soon, the designer became a star himself, as he weaved outfits for Elton John and Princess Diana.
A Household Name
Versace’s history began with a boy called Giovanni Maria Versace growing up in Reggio Calabria, Italy. Unfortunately, his life came to a premature end at Miami Beach, Florida, in the USA, in 1997, when he was shot. Gianni was 50 years old. He spent his early life working with his mother, a huge influence on his potential fashion career. She owned a local sewing shop where Versace made his first dress, a blue off-the-shoulder (single shoulder) gown. Versace was 9 years old then. Princess Diana wore a version of the same dress 40 years later, and Versace swore it was identical to the original. At the age of 26, he shifted to Milan to work in the fashion design industry. Over the next ten years, Versace gained a name and fame that spiralled him up the fashion ladder.
The Versace Logo
The Versace logo is the head of Medusa, a Greek mythological figure. The logo came from the floor of ruins in the area of Reggio Calabria that the Versace siblings played in as children. Gianni Versace chose Medusa as the logo because she made people fall in love with her, and they had no way back.
The Fame of Versace
Significantly, Gianni Versace revolutionized the fashion industry in ways that most designers couldn’t. He used multiple design features and embellishments in his clothes. He wasn’t afraid to explore, and his experiments with lace, leather, metal studs and Swarovski crystals drew the attention of critics and buyers alike. Moreover, Versace was a distinctive designer that could use all these elements in a single dress without being “too much”. Uncommon at the time, this technique came to be known as his signature.
A Master at Marketing
From the very beginning, Versace was a daring designer, unafraid to take his designs to international stages, like New York and Paris. Gianni hired the best photographers and used only supermodels for all his shows. A perennial cut above the rest, Versace’s history in the fashion world is legendary, especially among the celebrities who trusted only him with their looks. The clout his brand received was large since he dressed the best, from Princess Diana and Michael Jackson to Elton John and Jennifer Lopez. Stars still find his original creations mesmerizing as they repeat his clothes in recent events. The House of Versace is now successfully managed by his sister, Donatella Versace.
