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Versace
Gianni
Versace S.p.A. is an Italian clothier founded by Gianni
Versace in 1978. After Gianni Versace was killed by
Andrew Cunanan on July 15, 1997, his sister Donatella
Versace, formerly vice-president, stepped in as creative
director of the designing House and his older brother
Santo Versace became CEO. Currently, Donatella Versace
controls the majority of the company's assets until
her daughter, Allegra, the sole-heiress of the Versace
fortune, is prepared to take an active role.
The
first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della
Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today,
Versace is one of the world's leading international
fashion houses. Versace designs, markets and distributes
luxury clothing, accessories, fragrances, makeup and
home furnishings under the various brands of the Versace
Group.
Versace's
Style Department employs a group of designers and
stylists who work in teams. Each team is specifically
dedicated to each fashion line or label. These teams
operate under the close supervision and guidance of
Creative Director, Donatella Versace.
Versace
lines
There are several lines which make up Versace Group.
They are: Gianni Versace Couture, Versus, Versace
Jeans Couture, Versace Ceramic Designs, Versace Collection
(which replaced Versace Classic in 2005), Versace
Sport. In addition to clothing and accessories, it
also operates a hotel, the Palazzo Versace.
Gianni
Versace Couture, which contains high-end, often handmade
apparel, jewellery, watches, fragrances, cosmetics
and home furnishings, is the House's main line. Traditionally,
this is the only line which is presented on the runway
which is shown during Milan's fashion week, but this
has not be strictly the case in recent years. Couture
dresses in this line may cost about $10,000 and a
suit $5,000. Donatella Versace directly heads this
line and designs a vast amount of the items. Many
of the accessories and home furnishings are licenced
through Rosenthal and other notable companies. Most
of these have the unique Versace Greek print of Medusa
and/or the Greek Key motif. Atelier Versace was a
haute-couture line which was discontinued soon after
its inception due to lack of sales and a fall in couture
marketablility.
Versace
Collection, Versace Jeans Couture and Versus are all
licenced diffusion lines. These clothing lines incorporate
elements of the signature Gianni Versace line, while
focusing on current seasonal trends. Often these lines
are created and produced via other designer companies,
which are in constant communication with the Versace
Group. Versace Collection is aimed at a younger audience
than the main lines and it is also more available
to a variety of economic demographics. This collection
replaced Versace Classic for Spring/Summer 2005 in
a drive to eradicate a skewed Versace image, due to
the diffusion of multiple clothing lines within the
company. In addition to the Versace Classic, the clothier
also discontinued Versace Intensive and Versace Young
in 2005 for the same reasons.
Versace
Jeans Couture, a casual clothing line, focuses on
informal clothing: high-end denim and classic Gianni
Versace print shirts. It is readily available and
comparably affordable. This line is distributed through
56 boutiques and flagship stores, and 1800 multi-brand
points of sale, including Internet-based shops. Versace
Sport is comprised of activewear and accessories.
The name is often printed on t-shirts. Versace Precious
Items makes timepieces, jewellery, and writing instruments,
and is a sub-brand of Gianni Versace. The quality
timepieces and fine jewellery are made in Switzerland,
and the writing instruments are made in France.
Versace
has taken the fashion industry by storm the last few
years with Donatella's independent, strong woman inspired
collection, but at the same time making it look sexy,
fierce, and chic. Versace has a very wide band of
A list celebrities and models supporting Versace as
well as wearing their clothing. Versace has had celebrities
like Madonna pose for their fashion pictures along
with top world super model Kate Moss.
Versace
going public
In May 2006, it was reported in WWD that Versace chief
executive Giancarlo Di Risio said Versace Group would
consider an IPO (initial public offering) on the stock
market by next year, ahead of a proposed schedule.
This was due to a drop in operating losses from £62m
to £4m for 2005, based on sales for the House
during the prior 12 months.
Faces
of Versace & celebrity culture
Versace has many fans among well-known celebrities.
Elton John has long been a wearer of Versace, often
featuring custom items covered in diamonds or Swarovski
crystal. Other notables fans of the Versace fashion
house are Michael Jackson and Elizabeth Hurley. Tupac
Shakur (2pac) rapped about wearing the Versace label
in songs such as "Hit 'Em Up" which rival
rapper Notorious B.I.G, aka Biggie Smalls, allegedly
perceived as disrespectful to himself, and was also
a Versace model. The late rap icon The Notorious BIG
was known for his love of Versace sunglasses.
Jennifer
Lopez is known to wear Versace in many of her red
carpet fashions. Many of the dresses that Lopez has
worn has brought much publicity to the fashion house.
Lopez wore one of these dresses to the 2000 Grammy's.
The dress became infamous for its frontal area.
Versace
is unique among Italian fashion houses to use a "face"
for the House. The design company sometimes features
famous individuals in their widely-seen advertisements.
Whereas other houses often rely on press attention,
Versace has gone a step further in their advertising
strategy. As part of a such a "face" feature,
the celebrity is often paid a sum and Versace clothing,
compliments of the House. Madonna, for example, was
paid $10.5m and given free Versace clothes for 2 years
for her contribution to Versace advertising campaign
in 2005.
Some
of the celebrities that have been the face "for
Versace" are Madonna (1995 and 2005), Demi Moore,
Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera. Halle Berry
was the face of Versace for Spring/Summer 2006.
Versace
used the models Carolyn Murphy, Angela Lindvall, Daria
Werbowy, Christy Turlington and Kate Moss to front
the Fall/Winter 2006/7 campaign.
Versace
boutiques
Versace has eighty one boutique locations around the
world, in the US and Canada specifically: New York,
Atlanta, Boston, Bal Harbour, Tysons Galleria, Rome,
Beverly Hills, Orlando, Dallas, Los Angeles, Houston,
and King of Prussia (near Philadelphia), San Francisco
and Vancouver Canada. Versace also features 123 retail
areas in a variety of luxury multi-designer department
stores such as Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, and
Saks Fifth Avenue.
Versace
watches
Gianni Versace and Frank Mueller launched the first
Versace watch collection line in 1994. The name of
the first collection was Atelier and soon became a
must among fashionistas and Versace brand lovers.
Since
then, the collection of Versace timepieces has evolved
and the range of products of the Medusa fashion brand
has greatly been expanded.
Versace
watches line are produced under license agreement
in Switzerland. Timex bought the license in 2005 but
the Versace watch line is still produced and operated
from Switzerland by Vertime SA.
Since
the discontinuation of the Atelier collection a new
line from the Italian fashion house, Versace Precious
Items evolved. The collection includes watches, fine
jewelry, and writing instruments.
Versace
is one of the leading couture designers that has taken
the catwalk fashion runway by storm. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
Palazzo
Versace
The
Palazzo Versace (meaning Versace Palace) is a luxury
hotel jointly owned by Australian company Sunland
Group Ltd and Emirates Investments Group Australia
Pty Ltd, and is the world's first Versace hotel. It
is situated on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The hotel is the most expensive in Australia. The
most expensive room, the Imperial Suite, is available
for $AUD2500-3500 per night, depending upon seasonal
factors. U2 stayed at Versace while playing concert
in Brisbane during late 2006, and Tara Reid stayed
there in early January 2007.
Structure
The five-story hotel opened its doors in 2000 and
incorporates 205 elegant and classically designed
rooms, 72 neighbouring condominiums, 3 award-winning
restaurants and a private marina, all located on a
historic site at the edge of the Gold Coast Broadwater
along the Southport Spit.
All
cutlery and china in the hotel is Versace. Framed
photographic work from Gianni and Donatella's collection
line the hotel's corridors. The rooms are furnished
with a special range designed exclusively for the
hotel by the House of Versace in Milan. The bathroom
sinks are each made from one piece of marble, and
the hotel has 28 pools.
Five
Italian mosaic tilers, with an average age of 75 years,
built the hotel's driveway in six weeks. Each tiler
originated from a different region of Italy, collecting
the stones used from their own local area.
The
750kg chandelier which hangs in the lobby was once
used in the State Library in Milan. It was purchased
by Gianni Versace and kept in storage pending its
installation in his personal home in Miami. Tragically,
he died before the installation could be carried out
and Donatella Versace, who inherited it, decided that
it should be used in the hotel where it hangs today.
Dining
Il Barocco - Serves contemporary cuisine, in a setting
of elegant informality. Famous for its buffet breakfast.
Vanitas - The select premier restaurant of the hotel,
where a 10,000+ bottle cellar of rare quality compliments
innovative cuisine.
Vie - Stylish bar and restaurant which overlooks the
marina. Vie also features a selection of cigars in
its Cuban Cigar Room.
Le Jardin - Chic, cosmopolitan meeting place. Coffee,
cocktails and traditional high-tea.
In the media
The hotel became a focal point of world media attention
on 4 January 2006, when long serving ruler of the
United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al
Maktoum died of a heart attack whilst staying at the
hotel.
Dubai
Gianni Versace SpA, Sunland Group Limited and Emirates
International Holdings have announced the development
of the second Palazzo Versace Resort in Dubai, which
is currently being developed,a representative of the
Sunland Group has recently stated in the media. There
are also plans of building another 4 situated around
the world in capitals. The only city to be stated
in plans so far is Paris. The plans come after the
success of the original Palazzo Versace Resort on
the Gold Coast, Australia. (Credit:
Wikipedia)
Profiles
Palazzo
Versace, Gold Coast, Australia
Luxury
Directory
Fashion
Websites
Versace
Palazzo
Versace, Gold Coast, Australia
Sunland
Group
Greg
Tingle, Media Man Australia director, at Palazzo
Versace, Gold Coast, Australia
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