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Gianni Versace (December 2, 1946 - July 15, 1997) was an Italian fashion designer and the founder and owner of the high-end Versace clothing company. Born in Reggio di Calabria in southern Italy to a family who owned a tailoring store, he learned to design and make his own clothes as a young boy.
Gianni Versace (December 2, 1946 -July 15, 1997) was a famous and almost aristocratic Italian fashion designer, as well as the founder and owner of the high-end Versace clothing company.
Versace was born to a family who owned a tailoring store in the town of Reggio di Calabria, in southern Italy. As a young boy, he learned to design and make his own clothes. Several of his designs were sold at the family store.
Versace's first career success came in 1972, when he was contracted by a company to create a collection. In 1974, his name was seen on his own designs for the first time when he signed with the Complices trademark. In 1978, he opened his first boutique.
In 1985, his Instante collection hit the store stands.
Versace became an internationally famous fashion designer alongside Ralph Lauren, Oscar De La Renta, Carlota Alfaro and Giorgio Armani. He was a personal designer for celebrities such as Courtney Love, Jon Bon Jovi and Elton John, and was particularly known for his innovative designs in leather.
Versace was awarded the coveted American Fashion Oscar on February 1, 1993.
In 1992 Gianni Versace moved to Miami Beach, Florida and purchased a home at 1116 Ocean Drive formerly known as the Amsterdam Palace for $2.9 million.
After receiving city approval to demolish the adjacent Revere Hotel, a two-story, 6,100-foot addition was built, transforming the entire structure into a palatial home that Versace named Casa Casuarina.
Gianni Versace's initial connection with Miami South Beach in particular came when he designed the sensual T-shirt-and-pastel-jacket look for the TV series Miami Vice, a look that exuded a fresh style that would soon sweep the country and set the tone for a decade of wild and reckless living.
Versace was shot dead on the front steps of his Miami Beach mansion on July 15, 1997. Andrew Cunanan, who was wanted for murdering four other people in a killing spree, became a prime suspect; four of the victims, including Versace, were gay. Cunanan fled and hid from police. Eight days later, he committed suicide in a houseboat o n Miami Beach that was under siege by armed police.
After Versace's death, his sister, Donatella Versace, took over his business and continued usage of the family's trademark bright colors and designs. His lover, Antonio D'Amico, started his own design company.
Versace is sometimes mentioned in Eminem songs, such as "Fight Music," on D12's first CD, Devil's Night, and "Criminal" from The Marshall Mathers LP.
Learn more about the company that he built. Visit the Versace website.
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The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Versace 1/8/06 |
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Designer Definition (from U.S Department of Labor)
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A Tailoring Store Childhood and a Step-by-Step StartGianni Versace was born on December 2, 1946 in Reggio di Calabria in southern Italy, to a family who owned a tailoring store. As a young boy he learned to design and make his own clothes, and several of his designs were sold at the family store — an unusually direct apprenticeship, in which the first customer judgement a designer meets is a paying stranger in his own family's shop. His rise then came in recorded stages: a first career success in 1972, when he was contracted by a company to create a collection; his name seen on his own designs for the first time in 1974, when he signed with the Complices trademark; his first boutique opened in 1978; and his Instante collection in 1985. Each stage increases the designer's ownership of the work, from a collection made for someone else, to designs carrying his name, to a shop of his own, to the company he founded and owned. Celebrity Clients, Leather and an American Fashion OscarVersace became an internationally famous fashion designer alongside Ralph Lauren, Oscar De La Renta, Carlota Alfaro and Giorgio Armani. He was a personal designer for celebrities such as Courtney Love, Jon Bon Jovi and Elton John, and was particularly known for his innovative designs in leather — taking a material associated with jackets and working it as a signature fashion fabric. On February 1, 1993 he was awarded the coveted American Fashion Oscar. His connection with Miami South Beach began in design rather than property: he designed the sensual T-shirt-and-pastel-jacket look for the television series Miami Vice, a look that set a fresh style that soon swept the country. In 1992 he moved to Miami Beach and purchased a home at 1116 Ocean Drive, formerly known as the Amsterdam Palace, for $2.9 million, demolishing the adjacent Revere Hotel to build a two-story, 6,100-foot addition and transforming the structure into a palatial home he named Casa Casuarina. Murder in 1997 and Donatella's ContinuationGianni Versace was shot dead on the front steps of his Miami Beach mansion on July 15, 1997. Andrew Cunanan, who was wanted for murdering four other people in a killing spree, became a prime suspect; Cunanan fled and hid from police, and eight days later committed suicide in a houseboat on Miami Beach that was under siege by armed police. The killing ended a career at the age of fifty, only four years after the American Fashion Oscar and five years after the move to Miami Beach. After Versace's death his sister Donatella Versace took over his business and continued usage of the family's trademark bright colours and designs, keeping the visual identity the founder had built rather than replacing it. His lover, Antonio D'Amico, started his own design company. Versace's name also survives in popular music, mentioned in Eminem songs including Fight Music and Criminal. Common QuestionsHow did Gianni Versace learn fashion?Versace was born to a family who owned a tailoring store in Reggio di Calabria in southern Italy. As a young boy he learned to design and make his own clothes, and several of his designs were sold at the family store. When did Versace open his first boutique?Versace's first career success came in 1972, his name appeared on his own designs in 1974 when he signed with the Complices trademark, and he opened his first boutique in 1978. His Instante collection followed in 1985. How did Gianni Versace die and who took over his business?Versace was shot dead on the front steps of his Miami Beach mansion on July 15, 1997. Andrew Cunanan was a prime suspect. After his death his sister Donatella Versace took over his business and continued the family's trademark bright colours and designs. More to Explore
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