Gianni Versace: the mysterious story of death. Gianni Versace's family does not believe the creators of the series about him

Gianni Versace

The theme of the mysterious death of the famous fashion designer Gianni Versace has haunted many researchers for 19 years. On July 15, 1997, a fashion designer was gunned down on the steps of his Miami mansion. The killer was found very quickly, but before being arrested, he committed suicide. According to the official version, homosexual acts were the motive for the crime, but this explanation sounds unconvincing. Very little is known about the real reasons for the murder.

Andrew Cunanan

The case of the murder of Gianni Versace was solved surprisingly quickly - in just two weeks. The killer became Serial killer Andrew Cunanan, who already had four victims. He made a living by prostitution, and, according to one version, all those killed were his lovers. He was wanted, but the police could not detain him. Suspicion fell on him when a van with clothes with traces of the blood of the latest victim of a serial killer was found near the Versace mansion. All the evidence pointed too clearly to a single suspect. In a suicide note, he allegedly admitted that he killed the fashion designer as a "banner of homosexuality." But the killer was gay himself, and so this explanation sounds illogical. The real motive for the crime remains unclear.

The Versace Miami mansion where the murder was committed

Private detective Frank Mont is sure that the southern Italian criminal group N'dranghetta was involved in the murder of Versace. According to him, the designer was killed because he dared to challenge the mafia. The murder was arranged so that suspicion fell on a serial killer, whose suicide was later staged. The detective claims that a few months before Versace's death, he asked his agency to investigate. He suspected that the mafia had infiltrated his business to launder money. The fashion designer was supposedly going to hold a press conference at the end of summer and announce the names of the criminals.

The fashion designer was originally from Calabria, and even during the life of Versace there were rumors about his connections with the Calabrian mafia. His rise was too rapid and sudden, which led fashion historians to speculate about the help of sponsors from the underworld. Where did the young designer get the start-up capital, and how he was able to open his own Fashion House, is really a mystery. Perhaps it was the money of a southern Italian criminal group, with which the couturier later did not want to share his income. A year before Versace's death, a scandal erupted that involved many designers whose fashion houses were fronts for mafia money laundering. Gianni was also accused, but he himself categorically denied his connections with the underworld.

Gianni Versace

The great couturier, the mystery of whose death has not yet been revealed

The Calabrian mafia often traded in counterfeiting famous brands, and when Versace gained worldwide popularity, factories appeared in Italy that produced counterfeit goods. Versace declared war on underground factories: because of cheap fakes that flooded the market, his brand was losing prestige. In addition, he was losing hundreds of millions of dollars: in 1995-1996. the turnover of counterfeit products was two-thirds higher than the income of the Versace Fashion House. The designer collaborated with the "Yellow Flame" - the anti-corruption police, and personally participated in investigations exposing the activities of clandestine factories. The emblem of the Versace brand for a long time was the Gorgon jellyfish, but since it was she who was most often forged, the couturier publicly abandoned this emblem.

The great couturier, the mystery of whose death has not yet been revealed

Of course, the Calabrian mafia could not but respond to such fierce resistance and opposition. Repeatedly, Versace received a kind of black marks: once, in his garden, he found a dead bird, then a dead dog. But the designer was not stopped by these warnings. He was a fatalist and believed that fate could not be avoided. Versace did not use the services of security and often went out into the street unaccompanied. Therefore, it was not difficult for the killer to carry out his plan.

Gianni Versace

Famous italian fashion designer

However, if this was indeed the work of the mafia, why did they assign the murder not to a hitman, but to a mentally unstable serial killer? Obviously, this mystery is still far from its final solution.

The fashionable king of Italian baroque, teetering on the edge of kitsch. His work was filled with exceptional simplicity and did not recognize half measures. All this is Gianni Versace, the famous Italian couturier. The public was shocked when, on July 15, 1997, he was shot to death on the steps of his own house. The story of the mysterious murder of the king of fashion will tell todayAmateur. media.

Who killed fashion designer Versace?

The murder of Versace, who was at the peak of his popularity in the 90s, amazed the public. At that time, the fashion designer dressed Madonna and even Princess Diana.

Versace

Versace's killer worked as a prostitute and was in love with Tom Cruise

The circumstances of death, at first glance quite simple, nevertheless raised a lot of questions. According to the official version, Gianni Versace was killed by a 27-year-old white American named Andrew Kyuananen. The man made a living by prostitution. At that time, Andrew was already on the wanted list, was suspected of 4 murders and was considered one of the 10 most dangerous criminals on the FBI list. Suspicion fell on him when investigators found a van with bloody clothes inside, which belonged to Kyuananen's latest victim, near the Versace mansion. But the only thing that did not fit in this mosaic was the motive for the crime.

Maniac killer

The FBI, along with psychiatrists, found out that Kyuananen was distinguished by sadomasochistic inclinations: the fact is that he was in love with Tom Cruise, who obviously did not share his feelings.

Andrew Cuananen

On the basis of passion, Andrew went crazy, and his first victim was his lover David Madson. Versace did not hide his homosexual orientation, so one could suspect that he had some kind of connection with the killer. But this information has not yet been confirmed. However, the murder was carefully planned, and Andrew never chose his victims randomly.

Cinematic history

The killer did not provide an explanation: he committed suicide. This story is no less mysterious: a few days after the murder, Andrew was surrounded in a house on the water, where he held out for 14 hours under siege. Later, the police carried out a corpse with a bloody face. It was as if demolished by a shot, while none of the policemen heard the shot. Still, according to the official version, the killer shot himself with the same pistol from which he fired at Versace.

Versace killer Andrew Cuananen shot himself with the same pistol

contract killing

All these secrets aroused suspicion. Some thought that the mafia might be involved in the murder of a fashion designer. A year before Versace's death, rumors spread in Italy that some designers were covering up money laundering. Gianni was also accused of this, but he categorically denied his connection with the mafia. But many refused to believe that one of the richest men in the country was clean before the law.

After the death of Gianni Versace, his sister Donatella took over the company.

At the same time, another version appeared, about a murder ordered by the family. There have already been precedents: in 1995, the wife of Maurizio Gucci ordered the murder of her husband because of disagreements about company policy. A similar situation could have developed with Versace: at that time, Gianni completely stopped worrying about the finances of the company and was exclusively engaged in creativity. The money issue fell entirely on the shoulders of Gianni's sister, Donatella. Problems could also be caused by the fact that by the beginning of the 90s a huge amount of fake clothes marked with the Versace mark began to appear. All this could well lead to conflicts in the family. Moreover, after the death of Gianni, the reins of government passed into the hands of Donatella. True, both versions of the contract killing leave one question unanswered: why was a serial killer hired as a killer?

Versace is alive

Gianni Versace was so famous that he had his own army of fans. He was a kind of Elvis Presley in the fashion industry - a real king. As in the case of the death of the king of rock and roll, after the murder of Versace, some suggested that the couturier did not die at all, but only staged his death. They said that Versace was just tired of work and decided to retire somewhere on the ocean. In addition, the company at that time clearly could not have been bothered by advertising: after the murder, fashionistas rushed to buy dresses from the Italian couturier. Some also doubted that the corpse of the real Versace killer was found: Andrew's face was mutilated, and the fingerprint examination lasted almost 10 hours! It seemed that the police were just trying to close the sensational case as soon as possible.

Gianni Versace was a kind of Elvis Presley in the fashion industry

Gianni was buried near Lake Como, in the garden of Villa Fontanello. 2,000 people gathered at his funeral. And in December 1997, an exhibition dedicated to the work of the couturier was opened at the Metropolitan Museum.

Autoa: Ekaterina Astafieva

The name of the world famous fashion designer Gianni Versace is associated with a progressive look at the image. modern woman, which combines not only elegance, but also dynamics, and even eccentricity. He was called the "King of the Baroque", among his admirers are Hollywood stars, pop stars, sports stars, American astronauts, royalty, millions ordinary people. The style of Gianni Versace covers not only clothes, accessories, glasses, perfumes, dishes, phones, furniture and cars are produced under this brand. December 2 to this brilliant master, who changed the idea of fashion style would have turned 67 years old. By this date, I propose to get acquainted with 15 interesting facts from his biography.

1. The mother of the future fashion designer worked as a dressmaker in her own atelier, where Gianni was born. Since childhood, he was surrounded by fabrics, which later turned into beautiful dresses. Father was in sales household appliances. In addition to Gianni, two more children were growing up in the family.

Parents wanted to see their younger son architect, so after graduating from school he entered the university, but he did not have to study there for a long time - his mother needed an assistant.

And since Gianni was hers right hand in the performance of various assignments, he returned to his native town of Reggio di Calabria. At the age of 18, he began working in the family shop. He not only helped his mother place orders and deliver fabrics, but also attended fashion shows and was interested in fashion design trends.

2. In 1972, he moved to Milan and began working as a designer in several companies, he was immediately noticed by famous Italian couturiers. And in 1978, 32-year-old Gianni Versace opened his own Model House, where he arranged both his older brother and younger sister. First show women's clothing made a splash. “Sunglasses were put on in the front row to protect the eyes from this bright splendor,” the newspapers wrote.

3. The head of the Gorgon became the emblem of the House of Models. According to the master, the ancient Greek jellyfish is a symbol of fatal charms that paralyze and hypnotize a person with its beauty and simplicity.

4. 80s The twentieth century is the heyday of the work of Gianni Versace. A woman dressed in a new dress has become more sexy, graceful, elegant. The fashion designer preferred tight-fitting fabrics that emphasize the figure, experimented by combining silk with fur, leather and metal. He revived tight trousers, miniskirts, used corsets, opened the back and chest, making the look more sensual. Gianni Versace clothes became popular. The income of his empire was approaching a billion dollars, and the total number of Versace branded stores around the world exceeded a hundred.

5. In 1982, the designer first showed evening dresses made of thin, soft and movable aluminum mesh, sparkling and enveloping the body like fish scales. Versace's fall/winter women's collection won awards from Golden Eye and Cutty Sark that same year.
6. It is Gianni Versace who owns the term "top model". His clothes were popularized by Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Carla Bruni, Eva Herzigova, Naomi Campbell and Claudia Schiffer.

The couturier carefully selected music for his shows. Elton John wrote several compositions especially for Versace. The fashion designer made costumes for 25 opera and ballet productions by such masters as M. Bejart and V. Forsythe. He dressed Madonna for "Four Rooms", together with Elton John made a modern version of "Aida" by G. Verdi. For his contribution to fashion and music, Gianni Versace was awarded the Order.
7. A big admirer of Antiquity, in his clothes he combined aristocracy and kitsch, and each of his collections combined classics and modernity: either punk culture, or baroque, or pop art, or outright BDSM and the style of gay clubs. Versace brought into fashion a combination of black leather and gold accessories, the combination of evening dresses and underwear, bright prints on shirts, leather-fitting trousers on men, high heels. For the first time, a guy without a tie and in jeans appeared on the podium.

8. Clothing from Versace is recognized as the most fashionable and becomes an attribute of wealth and status. That is why his style is often faked. However, Versace made not only clothes, but also jewelry. “While the recognized masters tried to say only “A”, Versace was already doing the whole route from “A” to “Z”. The speed of thinking, calculation and speed of execution are gigantic, ”admired the French choreographer Maurice Bejart.

The talented craftsman produced a diadem and a necklace "Vanity of Leonardo da Vinci". In 1981, the first women's perfume "Gianni Versace" was released, and in 1986, the men's fragrance "L" Homme. At the same time, the production of porcelain and glassware (together with Rosenthal) and furniture (Versace Home) from Gianni Versace.

9. He becomes one of the richest people in the world. He owns several apartments, houses, villas in Rome, Milan, Lake Como, New York, Miami ... He invests in antiques and art. In his collection of paintings by Kandinsky, Chagall, Picasso, French Impressionists. “The simple accumulation of money is the lot of poor people. Paintings are collected by truly rich and far-sighted people, ”the fashion designer liked to repeat.

10. For 25 years of creativity, Gianni Versace has held more than 60 performances, carefully rehearsed and thought out to the smallest detail. On June 24, 1997, the loudest show of Baroque Bel Canto took place in Florence in collaboration with the composer Maurice Béjart.
11. In the mid-90s. doctors diagnosed Versace with oncology, but the fashion designer captured the disease in time. In public, he was always cheerful and cheerful, gave interviews, and personally attended all the shows.
12. Gianni Versace was gay and never hid his views. For 11 years, Antonio D'Amico was his constant partner and lover. At the Versace fashion house, he developed a sports line.

13. Versace's first published book was uncomplicatedly called Design. He has designed costumes for films such as Showgirls, Ballet for Life and Judge Dredd.
14. In public, Gianni Versace never appeared without bodyguards. He allowed himself to walk freely only in the vicinity of the Miami Beach villa. It was here that the killer, homosexual Andrew Cunanan, who killed his idol on July 15, 1997, lay in wait for him.

15. On July 22, a civil memorial service was held in the Milan Cathedral, which was attended by thousands of friends and admirers of Versace's talent from all over Italy and many countries of the world. Elton John, Sting, Naomi Campbell, Caroline Bissett-Kennedy, as well as fellow designer Giorgio Armani and Karl Lagerfeld came to honor the memory of the great fashion designer. Only written condolences gathered for a five-volume work.

Name: Gianni VersaceGianni Versace

Age: 50 years

Activity: fashion designer, designer, founder of the fashion house Gianni Versace

Family status: not married

Gianni Versace: biography

Biography of Gianni Versace outstanding fashion designer from Italy, looks like a fairy tale story. A boy from a poor family turned out to be capable of a miracle: Versace became not only one of the most famous couturiers, but also a real trendsetter in fashion and style. Unfortunately, not everything in the fate of the master was as easy and cloudless as a career.

Childhood and youth

The future fashion designer was born on December 2, 1946 in the small town of Reggio de Calibria, in southern Italy. The boy's parents owned a clothing store, which brought income to the family. FROM early years It was the little Versace who helped his mother hang out the outfits and select accessories for them. Gianni was delighted to see how seemingly insignificant details change the look of the whole outfit.

Three children grew up in the Versace family: Gianni had a brother, Santo, and a sister, Donatella. The adoration of the mother was given to the eldest son, while Gianni constantly suffered from a lack of maternal attention. The boy tried to fill this void with minutes spent with his mother in the family shop. Soon, Gianni knew how not only to carefully hang clothes, but also began to understand the features of the cut and fabrics.

In addition to dresses, young Gianni Versace was attracted to drawing. Parents even predicted a career as an architect for their son. The young man, after graduating from school, entered the institute, the Faculty of Architecture, but soon realized that this specialty would not bring creative satisfaction. In addition, Gianni's mother insisted that her son help work in the family store. So Gianni dropped out of college and focused on helping his mother.

Fashion and design

Until the age of 25, Gianni Versace worked in a family store. The young man constantly came up with new images, helped customers to select sets of clothes and comprehended the intricacies of the fashion designer's skills. It is not surprising that soon the name of the young designer became known to urban fashionistas.

Feeling confident in his own abilities, Gianni Versace goes to Milan, the capital of Italian fashion. There, Versace was lucky enough to get a job with three eminent fashion designers at once. Soon Gianni becomes indispensable at fashion shows: the young man travels around Italy, organizes shows and helps employers in preparing collections.

Gaining experience, Gianni began to dream of opening his own fashion house, as well as think over a collection of clothes that he decided to present to the world in the spring of 1978. This debut instantly made the fashion designer famous: the collection was enthusiastically received by both metropolitan fashionistas and biased critics.

In the same year, Gianni Versace registered a trademark for given name and solemnly opened the first store. Santo and came to help his brother.

Fashion house

The head of the Medusa Gorgon became the emblem of the Versace fashion house. The fact is that Gianni was interested ancient mythology, and considered the Gorgon a symbol of bewitching, unconditional beauty. Now this emblem is recognizable even by people far from the world of fashion.

Already in 1979, immediately after the debut women's collection, Versace released a line of clothing for men. The premiere show was held with brilliance, the fashion designer gained many fans, as well as interest and respect from colleagues in the fashion shop.

In the 1980s, Versace fashion house shows were held one after another. Each collection became a sensation: Gianni was not afraid to experiment with cuts, preferring frank and bright outfits that did not hide the beauty of the female and male body.

Soon Versace brand clothes become a cult. Many other stellar persons turn out to be clients of the ingenious master.

At the same time, Gianni Versace opens his own brand stores in different countries peace. Success, as well as the income of the fashion designer, endlessly strive upward, and photos from the master's shows capture the covers of fashion magazines.

Gianni Versace decides not to stop there, and after some time, the first fragrance comes out under a recognizable label. It was the women's perfume "Gianni Versace". Following them, the men's perfume "L ̛ Homme" appeared. Since then, the fashion house of Gianni Versace has released many fragrances, but these first perfumes are still relevant.

In the 1990s, the fashion designer again expands the horizons of his own company. Under the brand Gianni Versace, dishes, furniture, jewelry and even cars began to be produced. Each novelty is met with a bang by the fans of the master, each time confirming the proverb that talented people able to show themselves in any activity.

Personal life

There is an opinion that childhood trauma influenced Gianni Versace's personal life. The fact is that on the way to school the boy had to pass by a brothel. A strict mother constantly scolded Gianni if he inadvertently turned his head towards this institution. Since then, the fear of seeing a naked woman has been fixed in Gianni's head. And even despite the fact that later Versace connected his life with the creation of clothes for women, relations with the ladies frightened the fashion designer.

Be that as it may, but the personal life of Gianni Versace, despite the unconventional orientation of the great master, has developed happily.

The first serious novel of the fashion designer, however, ended in a break. A young fashion model named Paul Black preferred his own sister Donatella to his lover. After this incident, the brother and sister did not communicate. more than a year, and Paul soon became Donatella's husband.

Gianni Versace and Antonio d'Amico

The second love story lasted until the end of the life of Gianni Versace. Antonio d'Amico, the head of the sportswear department of the Versace fashion house, became the chosen one of the fashion designer. It is also known that Gianni and Antonio periodically rested together, choosing one of their favorite models. However, such bold entertainment did not affect the relationship of lovers.

Death

It seemed that the happy life of the fashion designer would last for many more years, but fate decreed otherwise. On July 15, 1997, Gianni Versace was killed directly on the porch of his own house in Miami.

The murder was committed by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. It is known that the offender turned out to be a homosexual and made a living by prostitution. The cause of death of Gianni Versace was called a gunshot wound: the fashion designer died due to two accurate shots to the head.

On this day, only Antonio d "Amico was in the house with Gianni, who called the police. The killer, or rather his body, was found eight days later: the man shot himself. In his suicide note, Andrew Cunanan wrote that he killed Gianni Versace "as a banner of homosexuality ".

The death of the fashion designer was instantly overgrown with rumors and speculation. According to one version, members of the family of Gianni Versace ordered the murder. According to another, the Italian mafia had a hand in the crime. There were even suggestions that the emblem of the Versace fashion house, the Gorgon Medusa, which allegedly attracted trouble, was to blame for what happened.

Not a single guess has received official confirmation, and the murder of Gianni Versace is still called one of the mysteries of the 20th century.

After the funeral of the master, Donatella Versace became the head of the fashion house. Companion Gianni, Antonio, according to the will, received the right to live in any of the villas owned by Versace, as well as a generous monthly allowance.

Memory

1997 - Elton John's album "The Big Picture", dedicated to Gianni Versace
2001 - documentary film Victim of Fashion. The Assassination of Gianni Versace
2013 - the film "House of Versace"

Gianni Versace is an Italian fashion designer who gave women around the world the opportunity to reveal themselves in outfits from the designer fashion house. He always said that the same dress on Madonna and Princess Diana would look different. If the singer makes it sexy, then Lady Dee will look like a classic. The couturier's creativity was manifested not only in the creation of bold clothing models, but also in collections of dishes, furniture, smartphones, watches and perfumes.
After the death of the great designer, all his assets to the Versace label in the amount of 50% were bequeathed to his niece.

The son of the Versace couple, Gianni, was born on December 2, 1946, in the ancient and picturesque town of Reggio di Calabria. This is a port city in southern Italy, where the cultures of Greece, Byzantium, Spain, Albania, and France are mixed. The mother of the future couturier, Francesca Olandeze Versace, was a professional tailor and kept the Francesca Versace Elle atelier. The boy's father, Antonio Versace, was of noble blood, but his parents became impoverished, although they were able to give their son a good education. Antonio knew and loved music, was interested in art, read a lot.

Post-war Italy did not spoil its citizens with work and prosperity. The mother had to work hard to feed the children, and the father delivered household appliances for a small fee.

The hard-working Italians gradually went uphill, Francesca "earned" many wealthy clients, and Antonio became an economist and advised Italy.

Childhood spent in the studio

Another son, Santo, born in 1944, and daughter Donatella, born in 1956, were brought up in the family. All the mother's love was given to the eldest son.

The younger suffered from a lack of maternal warmth, attention and hugs. He grew up in the atelier of Francesca Versace. Gianni was fascinated by the clothes designed by her mother and the process of their creation. He always followed on the heels of Francesca. The boy's memory retained vivid memories of many hours of trying on and adjusting fabrics on naked female bodies with his mother's skillful hand. He often dreamed that his mother would give him as much attention as her visitors.

Every morning, Gianni and Francesca got up at half past seven, had breakfast and went to school and work. Their road passed by a brothel and the mother threateningly showed her fist to her son so that he would not dare to look in the direction of the brothel. The boy obeyed, and for the rest of his life, the ideal woman for him was an innocent girl who could not be touched.

After classes, Gianni invariably came to his mother in the atelier, where he spent hours watching her work, absorbing all the subtleties and providing all possible assistance.

At the age of 9, the school principal summoned the boy's parents, noticing his drawings (Gina Lollobrigida) and (Sophia Loren) with lush breasts and in frank evening dresses. The teachers attributed the student to having a sexual interest in adult women, at a time when he simply wanted to create works of art, as Francesca did. At the same time, the child sewed his first outfit - a dress lined with velvet.

Gianni liked to draw and after graduating from school he was enrolled in the Faculty of Architecture of the University, which he soon abandoned at the insistence of his mother. Francesca wanted her son to work with her and he did not resist. Until the age of 25, the young man lived the life of a mother, he bought fabrics and accessories, invented new models and was constantly interested in fashion trends. The fame of a young and talented designer began to spread much further than his native city.

Invitation to Milan

In 1970, a wealthy and enterprising businessman from Enzo Nicosia (Entso Nikozia), the owner of the Florentine Flowers brand, hired the budding Gianni Versace.

Biography begins new round. Pictures of dizzying success painted by a fertile imagination young man didn't give him time to think. He buys a ticket and flies to Milan. IN big city you can achieve recognition only when you give all your best, giving your favorite business not only time, but also soul.

Gianni helped Enzo sweep away in a few days new collection which was presented with great success. For this work, the young designer was awarded the first topless Volkswagen car.

Versace invents collections on the go, he becomes a field assistant. Collaborates with the Santa Margherita store, Complice Fashion House, popular clothing brands Genny, Mario Valentino and Callaghan. It was simply torn apart and the name of the fashion designer on clothing labels became a guarantee of quality and exclusivity. The fashion designer did not get tired of giving birth to new ideas and styles, earning money and fame for his partners, but began to dream of his own Fashion House.

Creation of the Versace brand

In 1976, Santo moved to Milan and helped Gianni open his own business, taking care of all financial matters and entrusting his younger brother with the creative side of the business. The brothers create their own company, giving it the name "Gianni Versace S.p.A".

On March 28, 1978, the 1st collection from Gianni Versace was demonstrated to the world at the Palazzo della Permanente. Critics wrote later that those sitting on the front rows had to wear black glasses so as not to go blind from the brilliance on the podium. In the same year, the Versace Fashion House was created, which later became the standard of style and freedom.

Gianni chose the head of the Gorgon Medusa as a symbol of design decisions, whose hypnotic gaze he considered a harbinger of glory, luxury and victory.

In 1979 fashion designer Gianni Versace presents the 1st boutique in Via della Spiga in Milan and launches new line men's clothing.

Since the 80s, the Versace brand has become recognizable all over the world. Designer clothing shocks with frankness and bold cut. It opens the legs, shoulders and back, showing the beauty of the female body. The star clients of the Versace fashion house are: Princess Diana of Wales (Diana, Princess of Wales), outrageous singer Madonna (Madonna), actress Charlize Theron (Charlize Theron), singer Elton John (Elton John), musician Sting (Sting) and other celebrities.

Gradually, the number of boutiques with mono-brand clothing around the world exceeded a hundred, and the family's income reached a billion. Versace experimented a lot, combining the incongruous, using laser soldering of seams and computer patterns on clothes.

In 1981, the Versace family released the Gianni Versace floral-chypre fragrance for women, and in 1986, the fragrance for men, L'Homme, was created.

The creative nature of Gianni did not rest on this either. Soon the world will be presented with a collection of tableware and exclusive furniture from the house of Versace, developed together with Rosenthal and Versace Home. Gianni Versace advertised a photo of a new direction of activity widely and expensively.

The fashion designer creates costumes for many productions, including: the television series "Miami Vice: Vice Department", Richard Strauss's ballet "The Legend of Joseph", the composer Gaetano Donizetti's opera "Don Pasquale" and others. Versace Gianni perceived films and theatrical productions as his brainchild, he participated thoughtfully in the development of costumes, thinking over every detail.

The fashion designer is interested in the world of painting and begins to invest in works of art and antiques. He has a large collection of paintings by expensive artists, including works by Pablo Picasso (Picasso Pablo), Marc Chagall (Marc Chagall), Wassily Kandinsky (Kandinsky Wassily).

Gianni Versace and his lover

Outrageous Italian fashion designer became famous for his love for beautiful life. He had no restrictions on financial terms and he spent as much as he wanted and where he wanted. Because of this character trait of his, serious scandals have repeatedly flared up in the Versace family.

Despite the fact that Gianni was surrounded by naked women from birth, he did not develop relationships with the female sex. He was a homosexual and did not hide his unconventional orientation.

He often indulged in pleasures with young fashion models, one of whom was Paul Beck (Paul Beck), future husband Donatella. Gianni and Donatella Versace did not communicate whole year because Paul left Gianni for Donatella.

Antonio D'Amico (Antonio De Amico), the developer of the Versace sports line, became a constant companion and lover of the couturier. Gianni appointed him to manage the Istane stores and very rarely parted with his partner. Sometimes they took with them some handsome man from the models or from the gay club and had fun with the three of them. Versace always generously paid for his pleasures and everyone was happy.

At the time of Gianni's death, his friend was 38 years old. Under the billionaire's published will, he received the right to live in any of his villas for life and a monthly allowance of $ 29,000.

Children of the Versace family

The personal life of Gianni Versace was viewed through the prism of Donatella's family happiness. In the absence of her own heirs, her children were his children too. Donatella's daughter, Allegra Versace Beck, was born on June 30, 1986, from fashion model Paul Beck.

Uncle adored the girl like his own child, spent a lot of money on her, took her to exhibitions and shows, called her his little princess. Once the couturier admitted in another interview to the press that he loves to talk with Allegra, because only she tells him the truth about her mother.

Despite the uncle's great affection for his niece, it was unexpected for the girl to learn that, according to the last will, Gianni left her the entire fortune and 50% of the shares of the Versace house.

In 1989, Donatella had a son, Daniel Beck, and at the age of 8, he inherited his collection of paintings from his murdered uncle.

The couturier left nothing for the children of Santo Francesca and Antonio after his death. He preferred one child in the family and the girl became the only woman in the Versace family to whom Gianni could open his heart and give all his wealth.

Murder

South-Beach (South Beach) - city nightlife. On the morning of July 15, 1997, its streets seemed deserted and quiet, and the clear sky foreshadowed a fine day. At about half past eight, the owner came out of the Villa Versace. He started the morning as usual, had breakfast and went to buy the latest press at the News Cafe. In a cafe, Gianni drank a cup of coffee and bought a lot of magazines: People, The New Yorker, Vogue, Entertainment Weekly, Spanish Newsweek. The purchase cost over fifteen dollars.

With a leisurely step, he walked back along the most bohemian street in Miami - Ocean Drive. The fashion designer was already near his chic Casa Casuarina mansion when he was overtaken by a man dressed in dark-colored shorts and a light-colored T-shirt. The stranger had a baseball cap on his head and tennis shoes on his feet. This is how all the idle revelers in the city dress.

Gianni Versace did not expect death. He climbed the steps to the gate of the villa, put the key in the iron door and wanted to open it. The man who got up after him suddenly brought a weapon to the head of the designer and fired. Gianni fell on the pink steps of the mansion. The killer fired another shot at the fallen victim's head, stepped off the steps, tucked the gun into his shoulder bag, and headed down Ocean Drive. There, the man locked himself in a red pickup truck stolen from a cemetery watchman Chevrolet (1995), changed clothes and, leaving the car, left on foot.

Shots near the house alarmed the fashion designer's friend and lover, Antonio De Amico, who was there. He ran outside and screamed when he saw his partner in a pool of blood. The called ambulance delivered Versace to the Jackson Memorial Hospital Miami, but the victim could no longer be saved. He died on the operating table at the age of 50.

The famous designer went everywhere with bodyguards and only allowed himself to walk alone near his own house. Here, a serial killer and a homosexual who earned money by prostitution, Andrew Phillip Cunanan (Andrew Phillip Cunanan), was waiting for him.

Antonio saw the killer move away from the house and the police arrived with an ambulance. However, it was possible to catch Cunanan only after 8 days. He committed suicide with the same gun that shot the designer. The FBI found a suicide letter that said that Versace killed his involvement in sexual minorities. It seemed unusual to the police that at the time of the suicide, Andrew was wearing couturier underwear.

The fashion designer was buried near, in the garden of the four-story yellow mansion "Villa Fontanelle". When Gianni Versace's villa was sold to businessman Arkady Anatolyevich Novikov, the designer's remains were reburied in Milan.

The farewell ceremony was organized at the Duomo di Milano (Cathedral in Milan). The funeral of Gianni Versace gathered more than 2,000 people, among them: musician Elton John, model and actress Naomi Campbell (Naomi Campbell), wife of D. Kennedy Jr. - Carolyn Jeanne Bessette-Kennedy (Carolyn Jeanne Bessette - Kennedy), Princess Diana of Wales, fashion designer Giorgio Armani (Giorgio Armani) and other celebrities.

Versions

The murder case is officially closed, but there are too many blank spots in it, ranging from the reasons for the assassination attempt to the identity of the one who killed Gianni Versace. How, for example, did Cunanan manage to remain unnoticed in the most exclusive area of Miami for a long time, if the man had already been declared nationally wanted by the FBI for previous murders?

The acquaintances of the mysterious killer described him as a sociable and educated person, he spoke 7 languages, but at the same time he dealt in drugs and was the lover of rich men of non-traditional sexual orientation. How could a homosexual kill his own kind for an inclination towards same-sex sex?

According to one version, Andrew met with Versace before(they were seen together at the premiere of the opera "Capriccio" in San Francisco). And Cunanan, being sure that he was infected with AIDS, killed all his possible partners one by one for three months.
Another version involves a contract killing by Couturier's relatives. Versace bequeathed his incredible fortune to his beloved niece Allegra, but not all close people were satisfied with such a decision. All financial matters of the global brand were managed by the fashion designer's sister Donatella and his brother Santo.

One private detective Frank Monte (Frank Monte) claims that Versace "ordered". He said that a few months before the murder, the couturier asked the detective agency to conduct an investigation. Gianni suspected organized crime was laundering money through his business. And this was partly confirmed by some of the discovered facts. Versace's sister Gianni paid a huge amount of money to remove all references to the participation of their family in the mafia from the investigation materials.
According to another, completely fantastic version, it is assumed that Gianni Versace did not die, but staged his own murder. The face of the murdered man was mutilated beyond recognition, and sales of Versace collections went up with great speed.

By the way, the face of the killer himself was also unrecognizable after he shot himself in the head. The police found him and for 14 hours kept the siege of the house on the water, where the killer was hiding. And no one heard the shot! When they took out the corpse, for some reason it turned out to be frozen. Fingerprint identification lasted 10 hours, after which the Versace murder case was successfully closed. The next version suggests such a development of events in which Cunanan did not commit these crimes at all. Perhaps they were made in his name.

The difficulties of the brand Gianni Versace

The death of his brother transferred the management of the Gianni Versace brand to Donatella. She changed the name to Versace and a year later created the first clothing collection released without the participation of Gianni.

The audience accepted it without much enthusiasm, sales began to fall. The sister did not try to copy the style of her brother, but tried to maintain the style of the Versace house.

Restoration of sales volume was outlined only by 2000, when Jennifer Lopez (Jennifer Lopez) came to the outfit Versace at the Grammy Awards.

In 2003, Donatella instead of expensive performances holds less expensive shows.
In 2004, the Versus youth line, developed by Donatella, was closed by her due to a lack of Money. In 2009 the line was restarted again.
In 2006 Gianni Versace S.p.A. and Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. start a joint project for the production of the Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 Roadster Versace.
In 2010 Versace Unique smartphones are presented to the world.
In 2011, the Italian football club Internazionale Milano Football Club received a new kit from the famous brand.
In 2012, Atelier Versace Haute Joaillerie exclusive jewelry was shown, available only on request.

Donatella discovered another line of work for herself, starting to open Versace hotels. This is a palace in the Emirates (Palazzo Versace Residences Dubai) and a hotel in Dubai ().

Remembering Gianni Versace

In 2001, the audience saw the 1st biographical documentary film “Victim of Fashion. The Killing of Gianni Versace (Fashion Victim: The Killing of Gianni Versace) directed by James Kent. It tells about one of the incredible and mysterious crimes of the twentieth century and about the failed work of the American intelligence services, which the killer Gianni Versace was able to carry out.

In 2002, director Claudio Barbati shoots the documentary film "A" ("Gianni Versace: A Desire for Beauty"), which becomes a tribute to the memory of a fashion designer with a worldwide reputation. The script describes the enchanting work of the exalted fashion designer and includes fragments of interviews with N. Campbell, D. Versace, photographer Bruce Weber and others.

In 2007 Maurice Bejart presented the ballet "Grazie Gianni Con Amore" ("Thank you, Gianni, with love"), dedicated to the 10th anniversary of Versace's death, at the Teatro La Scala by Maurice Bejart. The fashion designer and the French choreographer have been friends for many years and the couturier has repeatedly sewed costumes for the director's work. The premiere was represented by the world's best ballerinas. Some of the outfits for them came up with Donatella Versace, the other part was the costumes of Gianni Versace.

In 2010, the book "Gianni Versace: La Biografia" ("Gianni Versace: Biography") was published, which describes the milestones life path and creativity of the designer. Its author was a journalist from Italy, Tony di Corcia.

In 2011, the Wall Street Journal journalist Deborah Ball (Deborah Ball) published a book, House of Versace: The Untold Story of Genius, Murder, and Survival.

And in 2013 America's television channel Lifetime presents biography feature film Canadian director Sara Sugarman called "House of Versace" ("House of Versace"), based on the publication of D. Ball. main character the picture becomes Donatella, who did not let her brother’s business take its course, but raised it to new level contrary to all the cruel laws of Italian fashion. Her role was played by American actress Gina Gershon. The role of the designer is played by Canadian Enrico Colantoni.

At the same time, the same TV channel releases the documentary Versace: Beyond the Headlines.

Gianni Versace was diagnosed with inner ear cancer in 1996., but he managed to defeat the disease.
Santo, Gianni and Donatella had another sister, it is rarely mentioned in official sources. She was born third in the family and her name was Florentina. The girl died at the age of 12.
It was the couturier who introduced such a thing as a "top model", starting to single out favorites from their girls and paying them triple fees for the evening of the show.

Versace presented dresses and other clothes from the new collections with special chic each time. He turned his shows into fantastic shows and organized more than 60 such productions, using special musical accompaniment.
The house of Gianni Versace, in which he was shot, was purchased by the Beckham spouses.
Gianni admitted in an interview that when he created his outfits, he thought about those prostitutes whom his mother forbade him to look at as a child. He reintroduces mini skirts and designs unimaginably deep necklines.

Quotes

My law is not to argue with the wind, it knows which way it is blowing, but we, stylists, must only accurately determine its direction.
Don't get caught up in trends. Don't let fashion take over you, decide for yourself who you are, what you want to express with your clothes and lifestyle.
A person's clothes, like his soul, are one and only, and a woman is an innocent angel, and not a fruit for sinful pleasures.
"Medusa symbolizes the beauty and fatal charms of ancient Greek classics, both in art and in philosophy, she is a synthesis of beauty and simplicity, which literally paralyzes and even hypnotizes."
“Fashion does not stand still, but clothes remain the same!”
"Time flies fast, we are only sparks that want to shine as brightly as possible before they fade in the wind, clothes are glitter."
In the past, aristocrats were born. Nowadays, aristocracy is acquired by deeds.
“You have to be patient at work, showing equal respect to everyone you come across. No matter what step of the social ladder a person is on.
"High fashion is the only art form that uses technological processes in its development, but at the same time remains itself."
“If you see a woman in VERSACE clothes, you know that she has a lover. Or she often has sex!”

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