Donatella Francesca Versace (Italian: [donaˈtɛlla franˈtʃeska verˈsaːtʃe];[a] born 2 May 1955) is an Italian fashion designer, businesswoman, socialite, and model. She is the sister of Gianni Versace, founder of the luxury fashion company Versace, with whom she worked closely on the development of the brand and in particular its combining of Italian luxury with pop culture and celebrity. Upon Gianni's death in 1997, she inherited a portion of the Versace brand and became its creative director. She is currently the brand's chief creative officer. Along with her brother Gianni, she is widely credited for the supermodel phenomenon of the 1990s by casting editorial models on the runway.
Donatella Versace was born in Reggio di Calabria, Italy, the youngest of four children; Santo, Gianni, and Tina. Her father, Antonio, helped run the family coal mining business, and her mother, Francesca, was a seamstress for a fashion company before setting up her own fashion boutique. Her older sister, Tina, died at the age of 12 from an improperly treated tetanus infection. Always close to her brother Gianni, Donatella was persuaded by him to dye her hair blonde at 11 years old in honor of the Italian singer Patty Pravo of whom he was a big fan.
In the mid-1970s, Donatella studied literature and languages in Florence. On the weekends she would commute to Milan to work with Gianni who was working at the Callaghan fashion label. Donatella's mother did not approve, wanting her to focus instead on her studies, and would check up on Donatella with surprise visits to Florence.

Return to Donatella Versace Autograph Profile