It is July 15, 1997 in Miami Beach. It's very early but the blazing sun is already beating down on the cobblestones of Ocean Drive, the main avenue of the American city. That morning, Gianni Versace walked out of his home to have breakfast on the terrace of the street café. He buys an Italian newspaper, the latest issue of Voguepasses in front of a shop that sells his creations then returns home. Unfortunately, the 50-year-old man, a true fashion genius dubbed around the world, is murdered on the doorstep of his flashy home. Hit by two bullets in the head, he died instantly. In the days following the tragedy, fingerprints will reveal the guilt of Andrew Cunanan, an American serial killer. Donatella Versace, the designer's sister and muse, will travel in person to the United States to repatriate her brother's body to Milan, where the funeral will be held in the presence of personalities like Elton John, Princess Diana and Sting.
In the front row of the cathedral, in tears, in the arms of his mother, Allegra Versace, the designer's favorite niece… And his main heir. Indeed, at just 11 years old, the teenager became, upon the death of her uncle, the owner of 50% of the house of Versace. His uncle Santo inherits 30% and his mother Donatella, 20%. A poisoned gift intended as well to ensure the future of the one who considered her daughter, whom he idolized to the point of calling her “my little princess”than to force the latter's mother to hold the reins of the family multinational, and thus to protect the inheritance of her offspring. A role that she took on as soon as her brother Gianni was buried and notably on October 10, 1997, by coming to greet, in his place, at the end of the parade that he had been preparing for weeks. Difficult years followed for the peroxide blonde, then appointed as artistic director and vice-president of the company, who gradually descended into cocaine, leading the house into an unprecedented drop in figures.
Donatella Versace gradually emancipates herself from the prodigy brother
However, over the years and collections, Donatella soon succeeded in creating a new era for Versace. If she manages to preserve the essence of the brand, known for its bold, sexy and bright designs, she adds her own touch and improvements. As a creative woman, she modernizes silhouettes and makes them more comfortable and more inclusive. Among its highlights, the “Jungle” collection, including the famous dress worn by Jennifer Lopez during the Grammy Awards in 2000, which encouraged Google creators to launch the “images” tab, now used by billions of people on the planet. In 2009, Donatella Versace relaunched the Versus Versace line with a capsule collection of accessories, designed in collaboration with Christopher Kane, JW Anderson and Anthony Vaccarello. Two years later, alongside H&M, she shook up the industry by launching a capsule collection that was sold in all four corners of the globe. Having become one of the most emblematic figures in the fashion world, Donatella restores her brother's brand to its former splendor. But on the private side, she especially tries to help her only daughter Allegra, who will also fall into great difficulties following Gianni's death.
Allegra Versace's descent into hell
From the union of Donatella Versace and Paul Beck will be born Allegra Versace in 1986 and her little brother Daniel in 1989. The favorite niece and nephew – who will both be her main heirs – will discover on television, while they were watching cartoons, a special edition announcing the death of their uncle and showing images of his bloodied body on the steps of his Miami villa. A trauma that will remain anchored for life. When Allegra turned 18 in 2004, she inherited 50% of Versace's shares. “She also became the proud owner of a villa on Lake Como and a New York townhouse”specified The Guardian. His younger brother Daniel inherited Gianni's personal art collection, including works by Pablo Picasso.
“Although Allegra took control of her 50% stake in Versace at age 18, she did not take her place on the board until 2011, when she was 24”confirms the magazine Grazia. Indeed, as reported by our colleagues from Peopleif the young woman is co-owner of the legendary fashion brand, she lives mainly away from the spotlight. She studied drama, art history and French at UCLA and Brown University. Addressing The Republic in June 2011, Allegra stated that she preferred anonymity and enjoyed working for other fashion houses. A life far from the spotlight during which she notably fought against anorexia to the point of being hospitalized in 2008 after reaching an extremely worrying point. A thinness which was revealed several times under the eye of photographers during his public appearances. Today, Allegra seems to be doing better and a few years ago she made an important decision with her family members.
The Versace family makes a big decision…
In September 2018, the three shareholders of SpA Versace decided to part ways with their brand. This is how the Michael Kors group, renamed for the occasion Capri Holdings Limited, bought the company for the tidy sum of 1.83 billion euros. In addition, the agreement includes that the family will receive 150 million euros in Capri Holdings Limited shares. “Santo, Allegra and I will become shareholders of Capri Holdings Limited. This demonstrates our confidence in the long-term success of Versace and our commitment to this new global luxury group”specified Donatella Versace at the time in the official press release. The remainder of the sum will then be divided equally between Allegra, 50%, Santo, 30% and Donatella, 20%. The 38-year-old young woman has become one of the richest people in Italy.
Extremely discreet, Allegra Versace has only been photographed on very rare occasions in recent years. While some sources specify that she would have lived in New York for almost a decade, the latter would have recently moved to Milan, where she was seen in 2022 walking with a friend in Montanelli Park. As for his private life, we know absolutely nothing about his affairs of the heart. A totally unknown facet of this character who played a key role in the history of Versace. And what a story!
Like a true fashion phoenix, the clan from Calabria will have risen among the greatest. To the point of leaving a few feathers there. Before finally being reborn from its ashes.
