Donatella Versace

Interview, April, 1996 by David Furnish

Two years ago, I knew Donatella Versace only from the pages of magazines. A paparazzi favorite at flash parties and nightclubs, she was, the press said, Gianni Versace's little sister and his muse. I naively assumed that he designed the clothes and she simply wore them.

When we became friends, I quickly learned how wrong I was. She is Gianni's right-hand woman, with whom he shares an exceptionally close and loving bond. The mother of two children, Donatella still adores the nightlife, but that has as much to do with her keen eye for the next trend as with her love of la dolce vita. For Interview, I turned my tape recorder on her at the Ritz hotel in Paris, just two tense days before the launch of the Versace spring/summer collection.

DAVID FURNISH: I want to talk with you about what it's like working with your oldest brother, Gianni Versace.

DONATELLA VERSACE: Actually, my brother Santo is the oldest. One year older than Gianni.

DF: I'm sorry, but did you say that you're one year older than Gianni?

DV: Older?! [gets up to leave the room, laughing] Excuse me, I'm leaving. This interview is finished. I'm sorry. Your career is finished. I'm calling Interview!

DF: Come back! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!

DV: O.K. [sitting back down] Santo is the oldest, then Gianni, and then me. My family had an oldest daughter, but she died when she was only eleven. I was born to cheer up my parents. That's my mission in life. I always thought I was born to cheer up everybody. [laughs]

DF: What were you and Gianni like as children? What kind of relationship did you have?

DV: I had a lot of fun with Gianni. I was going out with him to discos and concerts when I was eleven years old. Gianni was the wildest, then he pushed me to be wild. Now I'm the wilder one. It's his fault. [laughs]

DF: A lot of people have described you as Gianni's muse, but I know that you're much more involved than being just a physical or aesthetic inspiration for Gianni.

DV: You know, I think I'm Gianni's disturber more than his muse! I don't think I'm a physical inspiration because I don't like my physique at all. Gianni is inspired more by my personality than the look of me. I like to think positively, and I try to make situations funny because fashion is all about happiness. It's fun. It's important. But it's not medicine.

DF: How did your involvement begin?

DV: When I was studying at University in Florence, I was going every weekend to see Gianni in Milan. He showed me sketches and would ask, "What do you think?" So, I had to say something and then go back to university. We kept talking on the phone and he'd say, "Why do you study so much?" My mother would say, "Leave Donatella at school. She has to finish university." So I finished. Quick! Then I went to Milan and my first role was to design the accessories and shoes.

DF: And now you're so involved that I noticed at the end of the Versus and Istante shows, Gianni shared the runway with you.

DV: [laughing] He's scared to go out by himself.

DF: He wants a little company.

DV: [laughing still] He wants a lot of blonde hair! Yes, I am more involved with the designing of the Versus and Istante lines. They are younger lines and they give you more freedom because young people risk more. They know much more much faster. I share their spirit so I love this.

DF: There are those who underestimate the youth, who feel differently than you do, who say young people don't care about anything, don't know about anything. I disagree, as I know you do.

DV: Absolutely! And I love how fashion conscious young people are! I love to go to a lot of rock 'n' roll concerts. For my work it's very important. I see the audiences and they inspire me.

DF: What's it like working with someone as creative and energetic as Gianni? You all obviously have an incredible bond and love each other very much.

DV: It's a mess and it works! [laughs] For instance, Gianni and I are very different, but very similar in many ways. We're both stubborn. We go for different things, but both so strongly. We're very lucky to be a family because we can really say the truth. There are not too many people you can say the truth to. With brother and sister you can. I'm his truth person. He's the truth person for me, too.

DF: What do you do when you're in a situation where you and Gianni strongly disagree about something?

DV: I don't let it go until the last moment. I think I make him exhausted.

DF: It really is a family affair, isn't it? Your oldest brother, Santo, is responsible for all the financial arrangements of the house of Versace. You, along with your husband, Paul, supervise the photography and the creation of all the visual images, and there's even a family feeling among those who aren't literally family. What goes into putting together an advertising campaign?

DV: Putting clothes in an advertising campaign is difficult because they look like one thing on the runway and another thing on the studio set. We work with the most brilliant photographers, and I think we enjoy a great relationship with them because we let them be free. You do a fashion show with certain models, certain hair and makeup, and the clothes worn in a certain way, and when you come to do the photography, the fashion has already changed. So, we try to capture a moment of where I think fashion is going to be.