Donatella Versace

Maya Rudolph often impersonates her on the show ‘Saturday Night Live’, which airs on the NBC network. In reality, both the ladies are good friends.

She was also featured in Lauren Weisberger novel, ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ and was also mentioned in the song 'Gulabi Ankhein' from the 2012 Bollywood movie, ‘Student of the Year’.

Versace was born in the Italian city of Reggio Calabria as the daughter of a personal financier to the Italian aristocracy. She is the youngest of four children in her family.

In 1977, she enrolled at the Florence University in Italy to pursue languages. She was very close to her brother Gianni who encouraged her passion for fashion.

In 1979, Donatella moved to Milan to work with Gianni, first as a design assistant and later in the public relations department. She was the only person who could contradict her brother with her constructive criticism.

She plunged into the fashion world during the 1980s. Gianni launched a perfume ‘Blonde’, dedicated to her and gave her own diffusion label, ‘Versus’, which remains a well-known Versace inner line.

The assassination of Gianni in Florida in July 1997 devastated her, but she quickly recollected herself and took-over as the chief designer. In October, she made her solo debut for spring the following year.

In 1998, she mounted her first couture show for the Versace Atelier at H�tel Ritz Paris. She built her runway over the hotel's swimming pool, like her brother, but this time using sheer glass.

Her first collection, attended by a host of celebrities, was a triumph. But in typical Donatella fashion, she credited its success to the seamstresses and models and dedicated the show to her late brother.

Under Donatella’s guidance, ‘Versace’ moved beyond clothing and expanded its horizon to accessories and home furnishings. The company even operates two hotels morphing Versace in to a complete lifestyle brand.

In February 2001, she launched her own fragrance, ‘Versace Woman’, a fragrance that harmoniously combines the hints of frangipani blossoms and leaves with jasmine, bergamot and eglantine.