Donatella Versace - Client Article

This is an excerpt from an article on Donatella Versace in Time Magazine. The full text can be found here. 

In Italy, a New Generation of Women Shows Off Power - By Lucie Muir

According to Donatella Versace, "Behind every great woman there's another great woman." She might be right, in Italy at least, where a band of sassy signoras have taken the leading positions in design, retail and marketing. It's been a long struggle over 10 years but today it finally seems the girls are getting what they want, what they really, really want. Girl power. […]

[…] As to the rise of women designers, Franca Sozzani, editor in chief for Italian Vogue, says, "Women in the design field have developed great business minds. They have become a lot more oriented in finding solutions to the problems." In Donatella Versace's case, quick solutions have been found after the murder of her brother Gianni in July. She has proved herself to be more than capable in her new position as creative director for the company. All eyes were on her during the Versus and Versace runway shows earlier this month in Milan, where just a day before schedule she admitted to being "terrified," and to be missing her brother more than ever. "Gianni always listened to what I had to say when designing a collection. He saw me as a voice for all women. We worked as a team and inspired each other."

As part of the company's new direction, four graduates from London's Central St. Martins College of Art & Design have been picked to work alongside Donatella Versace on the Versus and Versace lines. "Gianni loved to hear what those around him thought as he believed strongly in an exchange of creative ideas. Now I'll have to learn to confront my work through my designers and exchange my own ideas within a new team," she says.

Her forthcoming designs will portray a new woman.

"I'll be following the new feminine way in which women are dressing," she says. "Women don't want to look like dolls anymore, they want to look sensual without looking brash. They want less colour, even better cuts for more comfort and, in the case of the career woman, clothes which can work through from day to evening."

"I'm inspired by everyday women. Women with families, women out at work in the city. My brother always said that one day women will rule the world. He may have been right!" she laughs. […]