What does the name Versace mean to you? Nothing particularly shiny, probably… Or perhaps a bling-bling side? What if, in reality, it was a truly exceptional House? What if we affirmed that it has nothing to envy of French fashion houses? Could you change your mind about this much-maligned label on this side of the Alps?
After 4 months of work and, I admit, a certain apprehension, I invite you to (re)discover a company and a family that will have forever marked the history of fashion.
A Medusa engraved in marble, decorated with a frieze of Greek keys: all the emblems of the Versace style!
At present, Versace remains a family affair, and that changes everything... Unfortunately, this is not expected to last, the Milanese company seeking to go public.
Today, for this Calabrian family, the love of fashion is extremely strong, visceral. Although we are in the presence of a for-profit company, the contrast is stark between brands owned by families - or enthusiasts - and others, which have fallen into the portfolios of large financial groups. I hope to demonstrate this to you throughout this article.
Flamboyant boutique on Avenue Montaigne.
It may seem crazy today that certain creators draw their strength and pride, not from the extraordinary profitability of their products (at LVMH, we are breaking records in this area), but from the quality of the pieces produced by their workshops.
Having your family's name on a label changes a lot of things, in particular the perception of the product, its quality and the very notion of luxury... It's completely different when we look at the luxury market today. hui: Made in China labels plastered on items costing several hundred or even thousands of euros, total collapse of quality and scarcity of noble materials...
We can only see the metamorphosis of certain luxury brands into vulgar handbag and perfume factories.
Crocodile, silk, embroidery, lace, cutouts, lacing... There are almost more details than the eye can perceive, and it has become extremely rare to find workshops that have preserved such know-how.
If selling plastic items adorned with logos by the millions is good for some people's wallets, it literally kills luxury and renders it meaningless, as Dana Thomas brilliantly explains in her book Luxe & Co.
Fortunately, houses such as Versace have a demanding vision of the notion of luxury, hence the interest in presenting it to you.
Gianni, Donatella and Santo... a few years ago!
Rather than yet another paragraph boldly called "the story of...", I will give you everything I have learned about the brand through the study of its constantly evolving style.
In a second article, I will (re)discover the specific know-how on which the Versace “myth” was built.
Gianni Versace at 9 years old, already very clean on himself!
Gianni Versace was born at the end of 1946 in Regio Calabria, in the far south of Italy, after Santo, 2 years his senior, and 14 years before the famous peroxided and plasticized Donatella. Her mother ran a small sewing workshop, she passed on to her this passion for fashion and for working with fabrics.
It won't take much more for the young man who, after using his little sister as a living doll, moves to Milan to start out, professionally this time.
There he designed the collections of Callaghan (now gone), Complice (not to be confused with the cheap brand Complices) and finally Genny , his first notable feat of arms.
In 1978 Gianni Versace SpA was born, quickly establishing itself as a new pillar with a strong character in Italian fashion. Several dozen lines will be born then disappear, following the designer's inspirations. He will only keep a few to this day, in Haute-Couture (Atelier Versace) and luxury ready-to-wear (Versace).
Versace, a constantly changing empire with an opulent style
Crystal, glamour, sexy and above all no discretion!
Versace loves Baroque , so much so that his work is considered the "contemporary" version of this artistic movement. We find all the codes, and in particular this very advanced form of exaggeration (volumes, colors, patterns, etc.) and overload.
We find extreme sophistication in his designs, fundamentally removed from anything that could seem "natural"; that we talk about colors, materials and even cuts, often spectacular.
The Medusa, the Greek key and the constant links to mythology reflect the exaggerated glorification of the body: the Versace woman is a goddess and the man a god.
The constructions of silk and leather sculpt the female body to reveal all its curves, while the lines of the male busts sanctify the power of the V-shaped build. We are witnessing a search for beauty that is extreme, and ultimately irrational.
Overloaded you say? So little ! But what work...
Recognizable at first glance, the Versace "leg" is nevertheless capable of renewing itself each season, of creating its own trends, and Donatella assumes:
" I think fashion is important, it is part of popular culture, of culture in general. With a piece of clothing, you don't need to read a book or look at the date to guess a place or an era. Fashion defines a era ".
We cannot deny, especially in France and Italy, that clothing is a "marker" of time or place.
Watch old advertisements or old series : you will be able to roughly re-locate at least the year. It was very true for our parents, or for the children we were - the return of "bell bottom" pants, baggy pants -, it is less so today.
Fast fashion has been there, driven, it must be said, by limitless greed, taking in its wake the cultural and historical function - let's not be afraid of words - of fashion, which is a real shame.
SO ? What decade?
The artistic direction of the House therefore imposed, from the beginning, the vision of a powerful man and woman with “over-valued” bodies . This work is done in a positive state of mind, through a fashion that aims to be a vector of dreams and delirium, based on an opulence well anchored in its time.
Here again, Donatella Versace is clear:
“ If fashion were to reflect the depression that surrounds us, I believe it would lose its reason for existing. I really want to give a positive message .”
To better understand what's behind all this, let's review the major "artistic" stages, from the 80's to today.
The golden age (80's & 90's): the flamboyant mark of Gianni Versace in the history of fashion
1985: oversized suits gradually infiltrate men's collections...
Gianni Versace does not do half-measures; those who knew him were always surprised by the contrast between the very discreet man and the designer who worked so exuberantly. The visuals transcribe these totally uninhibited inspirations well, giving pride of place to imposing volumes.
For men, the 80s will remain the decade of monumental suits with huge shoulders, quickly becoming commonplace in designer collections and then in most men's brands, all ranges combined.
We are also talking about a time when a lot of brands, luxury or not, manufactured in France or Italy, two countries with overflowing know-how at the time.
At the end of the 80s, this campaign offers a wiser vision of the Versace aesthetic.
In 1990, Gianni Versace reaffirmed his immoderate taste for gold and the baroque by multiplying the "barocco" prints . A true explosion of colors and patterns , this print remains the signature of the illustrious designer and regularly punctuates the "classic" collections of the House, even today.
Incredible boutique palaces open one after the other while white pants, golden glasses and medusa-adorned belts invade the streets of many big cities.
It is not only in Europe that success is there: Miami, New York and Los Angeles also vibrated for the Italian fashion of this new darling of the critics.
In passing, let us underline the blatant contrast with the new creators of the parallel antifashion movement (Kawakubo - Comme des Garçons, Yohji Yamamoto, the Antwerp Six ...), those who seek in ugliness or chaos an alternative aesthetic , transmitting new symbols.
Despite the often very clear "orientation" of certain advertising campaigns, it turns out that the Versace style touched a very wide spectrum of men in the 80s and 90s , well beyond gay icons. Gangsta actors, singers and rappers have always been among the Maison's very diverse clientele.
The photos (a little above) from a campaign dating from 1988 contrast with the visuals just above and are aimed at a much broader target. This duality between lines with an exuberant style , aimed at a particular caste, and sober designs dedicated to attracting a well-off "Mr. Everyman", reveals a more refined strategy of the brand.
Note from Rafik: the brand has always been very good at communication. For example, she is one of the first to have called on artists as muses (with Prince), or to have understood the influence of top models on women (we had never seen so many big models within the same campaign). And for now, we owe it to Miss Donatella.
A gradual and painful decline during the 2000s
The golden age came to an unexpected and very brutal end in 1997 , when Gianni Versace was assassinated in front of one of his villas. Many questions arise regarding the future of the family company, and Donatella is chosen to succeed her brother in the creation of the collections.
A difficult stage for everyone: although she created a few collections for Versus, one of the "ancillary" lines, the youngest was not prepared - nor doomed - to take up the creative torch from one of the most notable creators of fashion history.
Summer and winter 2005, winter 2006 and winter 2007... Always correct production, but a laborious, incoherent style, devoid of identity.
Somehow, his vision of Versace style differs from that of his brother, moving towards more sober designs. If in the 2000s fashion in general became calmer, the Italian brand got lost in a trend that was too far from its roots .
The collections, instead of being refined, are radically stripped of the opulence, then of the high technicality for which they are renowned. The men's lines remain faithful to his vision of a trendy and sexy man, but gradually lose their identity.
Shattering resurrection in 2010
The economic crisis added to the already existing financial difficulties, confirming Giancarlo di Risio - CEO from 2004 to 2009 - in his choices. He tried to impose on artistic direction a fashion that was easier to produce, less technical, more profitable. Donatella Versace never gave in, still inhabited by the spirit of a brilliant brother and a unique sense of pageantry.
At a time when the last great couturiers abandoned their houses in the hands of financiers, without consideration for the craftsmanship, the know-how and the men who built them, the Calabrian clan has always held firm.
How many are in this situation today? Ferragamo, Etro and Charvet, to name a few, are still resisting when so many historic houses (Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, but also Blancpain, Cartier, Vacheron Constantin...) have been sold.
In this context, whatever one thinks of the spirit and characters of Versace, this resistance to the creeping "financialization" of luxury to preserve it deserves respect.
Impeccable workmanship, very noble materials and rare mastery of traditional know-how impress, and put the house back in the place it occupied in its beginnings...
But let’s pick up the thread of our adventures. So in 2009 , exit Di Risio, and welcome the new CEO, Gian Giacomo Ferraris . The strategy will completely change: aware of Versace's attachment to the image of their brand and the splendor of their clothes, it will allow the return of extraordinary pieces to the catwalks, in return for the development of more profitable products such as bags. , shoes and lingerie. The Italian empire is recovering financially and getting back on its feet.
...But everything is not all good, Versace is banking on publicity stunts carried by explosive and provocative looks. Denim jacket embroidered with crystals and denim patchwork sleeves assembled with rings (!), painted denim ensemble, coated silk trench coat and laminated gladiator sandals. I don't even dare describe the last one.
From summer 2010, the women's collection revealed dresses encrusted with silver chains and bustiers of nightmarish difficulty: the audacity of the first days reappears . For men, the winter 2010-2011 collection surprises critics around the world by unveiling a luxurious, futuristic and very sophisticated biker (we'll talk about that again).
We clearly feel, at this time, that major changes were made to the artistic direction team, marking the beginning of a new era. The following collections will be striking with daring choices, delirious at times, but guaranteeing significant media coverage. And remind anyone who wants it of this fiercely reckless DNA that characterizes the brand.
From 2015: a new balance between high technicality and (relative) sobriety
Asymmetrical wool/cashmere blazers fastened with gold metal clips, double-faced cashmere coats with fur-trimmed collars, chunky knitted cashmere knits: comfort, luxury and precision, always.
Fortunately, the brand's medium/long term strategy was not to make leather chaps and pink lace shirts classics in the men's wardrobe.
After a reminder that lasted 5 years, the Versace winter 2015-2016 collection seemed to me to initiate a new shift, confirmed by the fashion show for summer 2016, and by a New York employee of the House who has been there for 27 years within the Italian company...
Fewer patterns, studs and frills, in favor of cuts highlighting the very beautiful seasonal materials. Gold buttons, leather inlays and bold colors will ensure continuity with the brand's past, without preventing it from being part of a luxurious modernity.
We benefit from superb cuts and materials for very luxurious, yet wearable pieces. The color palette is exquisite, especially the shades of blue worn by the materials containing silk.
All that remains is to confirm this "turn", and see if the artistic direction manages to maintain this subtle and admirable balance . But you have undoubtedly noticed: if the style is sometimes doubtful, the manufacturing is intriguing and quite impressive...
We will very soon be looking at the specific know-how of the House, and discovering some quite astonishing materials and constructions.
Continued to the next episode!
