Donatella Versace is a fashion designer, an icon, and a force of nature.
Gianni built the eponymous Versace fashion empire, and Donatella was his first muse.
Donatella took the reins of the Versace company when Gianni died, impressing both fans and peers.
Donatella did not live her life behind the scenes, but became a distinct staple of the fashion world.
However, her road to success was not easy, and her no-nonsense attitude is a testament to that.
“Life is difficult,” she once toldThe New Yorker.
“‘Happiness’ is a word I do not believe exists.”
Her trajectory has been peppered with obstacles, but Donatella has always overcome them.
“I was the baby of the family,” she toldThe New Yorker.
“I was so spoiled.
I was the best-dressed little girl in my city.”
When Donatella was a baby, she played in her mother’s basket of fabrics.
“She was very, very strong person,” Donatella told The New Yorker.
“She wore the pants in the family.”
When Donatella was 11 years old, her older brother asked her to dye her hair blonde.
Donatella absolutely loved it, tellingSsense: “My first thought was: ‘That’s who you are!
You’ve finally found yourself!’
Donatella also began wearing dark eye makeup when she was young, which drove her mother crazy.
Either wash off the makeup, or you stay home!'”
Gianni was openly gay and share this with Donatella when she was young.
“I was 11 when he explained to me exactly what was going on with his sexuality.
I thanked him for his openness and felt ennobled,” Donatella toldSsense.
“It was the happiest time of my life.”
Although Donatella enjoyed staying out all night dancing with Gianni, their mother wasn’t pleased.
And stop telling people that she’s 16 already!'"
According to Donatella, the two got away with their partying because Gianni had a way with their mother.
He “wrapped her around his finger with his charms,” Donatella explained to Ssense.
“…Professors suggested that I pursue a career at the university.
I had a great desire to become a lecturer,” she toldSsense.
Donatella began working with him on his Versace label in 1978, becoming vice president of the company.
“I became the one person who dared to contradict the king,” Donatella said.
“He was annoyed but listened.
And he had the good sense to correct his decisions when he needed to.”
In 1983, Donatella married model Paul Beck, and the couple welcomed two children together.
It all appeared very traditional, but rumors swirled around about Donatella and Paul’s relationship.
Another more salacious rumor was that Gianni and Paul were romantically involved before Paul and Donatella were married.
During a conversation with Lenny Kravitz forInterview, Donatella spoke about putting family first.
“My family is the most important.
I’m Italian, so you know that.
I think it was harder when my children were little…
They understand what world they were born into, but it’s still very difficult,” she said.
Donatella was completely devastated, as she and her brother had been extremely close their whole lives.
Months after Gianni’s death, Donatella sent her first collection down the runway during fashion week in Milan.
While it was met with rave reviews, the designer was too heartbroken to enjoy her success.
“I miss my brother very much,” Donatella said after the show.
“I wanted to run away, thinking about coming out here without him” (viaPeople).
But she carried on and surprised even herself with the deft way she kept the business running.
She learned to trust her instincts and to step out of her brother’s shadow.
I worked with him every day.
I was much more than a muse," she told The Guardian.
So, it stands to reason that Donatella Versace has been close with many famous people throughout her career.
In fact, Madonna was there to comfort Donatella in the days following his murder.
“After identification, I drove to Gianni’s villa on Ocean Drive.
Madonna was waiting for me inside.
I will never forget that she was trying to comfort me during these hours,” the designer toldSsense.
The friendship has lasted decades, and Madonna has starred in several Versace campaigns over the years.
“I have had the rare fortune of getting to know the woman.
“That is what Madonna has always been to me: A lioness.
Her son, Daniel, was even named after an Elton John song.
I want shrimp and grilled fish.
No oil, no salt,” she said.
But she relented and gave in to the idea.
“I made my way to the airport with a ponytail and no makeup.”
Donatella successfully completed her program and began a life of sobriety.
I’m so complicated.
People have a low perception of me, men especially.
They think, This woman, she’s a nightmare.”
However, it turned out she was being a bit evasive in that particular interview.
“Knowing these people gives me happiness and fulfillment,” she said.
“On the third drag, the door flew open and a nurse chewed me out.
I hadn’t felt that small since I was 10,” she toldSsense.
But this American doctor wasn’t afraid of me!"
the designer told Ssense.
“I have never touched a cigarette again since that day.”
Like many people considering quitting smoking, Donatella was afraid of gaining weight.
Instead, she ended up losing weight due to a strict no-carb diet full of lean protein and vegetables.
“I don’t have the passion to do yoga, because I keep talking.
I never shut up and breathe at all!”
she toldThe New Yorker.
She even compared herself to one of her close friends, known for her physique.
“When it comes to my abs, I’m as obsessive as Madonna,” the designer said.
The show, helmed by Ryan Murphy, dramatized the events surrounding the murder of Gianni Versace.
Donatella Versace was not happy with the project and the Versace family released astatementdistancing themselves from the series.
“Donatella had some requests about how the children were depicted in the show.
I listened to that.
As a father, I understood,” Murphy said at a Television Critics Association event (viaW).
“I wasn’t interested in going there, out of respect for her.”
Donatella has not been shy in the past about cosmetic enhancement.
“I don’t even know what my natural color is.
…I do not believe in totally natural for women,” she once said.
“For me, natural has something to do with vegetables” (viaThe Independent).
