Who was the real founder of Versace?

The real founder of Versace was Gianni Versace. He was born in Calabria, Italy, in 1948. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that would be the foundation of his work. In 1972, at the age of 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection and label in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, his sister Donatella joined the family venture, where she has had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Versace apparel and accessories.

Gianni Versace 1996

Versace Spring

1996 Dress

Couture Dress Versace

Versace Runway Vintage

By Gianni Versace

Located in Los Angeles, CA

A rare Versace Couture 1996 design by the late Gianni Versace.

Category

1990s Evening Dresses and Gowns

Gianni Versace unisex blue rhinestone sunglasses, fw 1996

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Gianni Versace unisex blue rhinestone sunglasses, fw 1996

By Gianni Versace

Located in London, GB

▪ Gianni Versace unisex blue rhinestone sunglasses ▪ Large round frames ▪ Dark lenses ▪ Silver Medusa detail on the temples ▪ Fall-Winter 1996

Category

Gianni Versace 1996 S/S runway corset dress

By Versace

Located in CAPELLE AAN DEN IJSSEL, ZH

Runway collection dress from Gianni Versace Dress. This bright yellow dress shows neon strikes all over and has iconic Medusa hardware at the straps. Size: IT42, circa S-M Condit...

Category

1990s Day Dresses

F/W 1996 Gianni Versace Couture Lace Crystal Slip Dress

By Gianni Versace Couture, Gianni Versace

Located in Concord, NC

Fall Winter 1996 Gianni Versace Couture red dress featuring turquoise blue lace trim, and embellished crystal straps.

Category

1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns

Gianni Versace F/W 1996 Runway Vintage Iconic Silk Dress Gown

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Size: IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10 - US 6

Gianni Versace red silk evening maxi dress with crystal medusa straps, fw 1996

By Gianni Versace

Located in London, GB

▪ Gianni Versace red silk evening maxi dress ▪ Gold hardware with Medusa clasps adorned with clear crystals ▪ Open back ▪ Criss-cross shoulder straps ▪ IT 42 - FR 38 - UK 10 - US 6 ...

Category

1990s Italian Evening Dresses and Gowns

By Thierry Mugler

Located in Concord, NC

Thierry Mugler rare yellow skirt suit ensemble from the Fall/Winter 1988 “Les Infernales” collection, as seen on the runway. This iconic design was also famously worn by Kim Cattrall...

Category

1980s Skirt Suits

VERSUS by Gianni Versace 1990's Black Tailored Skirt Suit

$750

Size: 40

VERSUS by Gianni Versace 1990's Black Tailored Skirt Suit

By Gianni Versace, Versace

Located in Los Angeles, CA

From Gianni Versace's Versus comes this sleek and chic, ultra 1990's suit. Jacket has an arch opening in the dart area. See Photo #2. Black crepe wool. Fully lined in matching blac...

Category

20th Century Twin Sets

1990s Stubs & Wootton Size 8 Emerald Green Velvet Crest Flat Slides 90s Mules

$310Sale Price|21% Off

Size: 8

1990s Stubs & Wootton Size 8 Emerald Green Velvet Crest Flat Slides 90s Mules

Located in San Diego, CA

From one of the brand's first collections (1993) comes these fabulous vintage STUBBS & WOOTTON forest green velvet flats / slides! Features a hand embroidered crest in fuchsia, emer...

Category

1990s Spanish Clogs Mules

Manolo Blahnik Vintage Green Alligator Leather Carolyne Slingback Heels IT 36.5

$1,095

Size: 36.5

Manolo Blahnik Vintage Green Alligator Leather Carolyne Slingback Heels IT 36.5

By Manolo Blahnik

Located in Eagan, MN

Manolo Blahnik Vintage Green Alligator Leather Carolyne Slingback Heels IT 36.5 Women's size IT 36.5 Shoe sizing is inconsistent across brands. It is recommended to know your sizing...

Category

Early 2000s Italian Heels

Gucci by Tom Ford S/S 1998 GG Monogram Crystal G Slingback Heels, Size 36C

$1,525

Size: 36C

Gucci by Tom Ford S/S 1998 GG Monogram Crystal G Slingback Heels, Size 36C

By Tom Ford for Gucci

Located in Berlin, BE

Black slingback heels from Gucci’s Spring/Summer 1998 collection, designed by Tom Ford. A very similar model appeared in the season’s advertising campaign, featuring the distinctive ...

Category

1990s Italian Low Heels

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By Roberto Cavalli

Located in CACHAN, FR

A rare and highly collectible Roberto Cavalli archive evening gown from the house’s celebrated 40th Anniversary era. Expertly crafted in Italy, this spectacular full-length gown sho...

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Gianni Versace 1996 For Sale on 1stDibs

Find the exact vintage or contemporary gianni versace 1996 you’re shopping for in the variety available on 1stDibs. Black is a pretty popular color, but we also have Red, Gray, Purple and more in stock now. Making the right choice when shopping for a gianni versace 1996 may mean looking at versions that date from different eras — you can find early iterations from the 20th Century and a newer version made as recently as the 21st Century, both of which have proven very popular over the years. Finding an appealing accessory such as this — no matter the origin — is easy, but Gianni Versace, Gianni Versace Couture and Versace each produced a popular version that is worth a look. Finding a gianni versace 1996 for sale for women should be easy, but there are 11 pieces available to browse for men as well.

How Much is a Gianni Versace 1996?

Prices for a gianni versace 1996 can differ depending upon size, designer and other attributes — on 1stDibs, these accessories begin at $200 and can go as high as $54,438, while, on average they fetch $5,700.

Gianni Versace for sale on 1stDibs

The signature extravagance of legendary fashion designer Gianni Versace — forever aligned with glamour, sex, celebrity and spectacle — can overshadow the Italian couturier’s broad and deep engagement with history and culture. Today, his vintage dresses and gowns, handbags, sunglasses and other accessories look astonishingly fresh and freshly relevant.

More than any designer before him, Versace mined celebrity, music and Pop art for inspiration, and his subversive, maximalist and unabashedly seductive designs infused high fashion with an entirely new ethos. “I don’t believe in good taste,” he once explained. Instead, he had a sexy good time with fashion — as he did with life.

Gianni Versace was born in Calabria, Italy. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, little Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that were at the foundation of his creative expression.

In 1972, at age 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection — and his label — in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, sister Donatella, whom Gianni dressed and took to discos when she was still a child, joined the family venture, where she had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus.

Vintage Versace — and Gianni Versace Couture, which debuted in 1989 — has become catnip for modern fashion enthusiasts who seek out the now-iconic house codes that originated in the designs of the 1980s and 1990s. His glamorous and seductive apparel — the clingy skirts and slender, strappy party dresses, as well as the erotic magazine ads that publicized them — looms large, but Versace’s art and historical influences were also vast.

Versace was an art collector, and he took on commissions to create costumes for theatrical performances during the 1980s and spoke of looking to numerous cultures for inspiration. The New York Times noted in 1997 that the fashion industry “is now driven by contemporary culture because Mr. Versace made it that way.”

Insiders consider his 1991/1992 Autumn/Winter runway show — which featured supermodels Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell and Linda Evangelista lip-synching George Michael’s “Freedom” — as the moment when the two worlds of fashion and pop culture became one, changing both forever.

Versace's adventurous spirit of design resulted in his creating jewel-toned prints rooted in Grecian motifs, Etruscan symbols, the Italian Baroque and Andy Warholʼs Marilyn Monroe. There were slinky dresses in Oroton, his patented chain-mail textile that draped like satin, and leather bondage ensembles. Sex sold, for both women and men. Wrote the late curator Richard Martin, “[Versace] became the standard-bearer of gay men’s fashion because he eschewed decorum and designed for desire.”

Following Versace’s tragic murder in 1997, Donatella took over the role of artistic director and continued to evolve the house codes with a twist of her feminine and feminist perspective. Today, Santo Versace is chief executive officer of Versace and Donatella is its chief creative officer.

Browse an extraordinary collection of vintage Gianni Versace evening dresses, handbags, day dresses and more on 1stDibs.

Finding the Right Clothing for You

Start building your collection of covetable and iconic vintage clothing today — no matter where you roam, there is a curated selection of designer dresses and gowns, sweaters, shirts, dazzling shoes and more on 1stDibs that will keep you covered in the hottest styles from head to toe.

From elegant museum-worthy vintage Chanel dresses and jackets to audacious T-shirts and trousers from provocative punk designer Vivienne Westwood, one thing is abundantly clear: If the clothing for sale on 1stDibs could talk, it would certainly make a statement.

For fashion lovers, the 1990s have become associated with styles adopted by today’s supermodels and influencers — think John Galliano and Roberto Cavalli — but maybe ‘80s accessories are among your (guilty?) pleasures.

Playful, boldly colored coats and outerwear from Moschino, Ralph Lauren and other titans of the era can take a simpler ensemble to the next level, while chic and practical suits from the likes of Christian Dior and Balmain endure for haute couture advocates and beyond.

And vintage is the name of the game on today’s red carpets, too. Celebrity stylists are turning to archival pieces created by the likes of Bob Mackie, Thierry Mugler and Jean-Paul Gaultier as alternatives to new gowns plucked straight off the runway. Wearing such sought-after items gives celebrities instant allure and suggests a personal style that’s not only achingly glamorous but intellectually informed and influenced by a love of craftsmanship.

Those seeking contemporary luxury looks and in-demand street-style fits can indulge in designs by Bottega Veneta, Miu Miu and Loro Piana, while pieces from Gucci, Yves Saint Laurent and Versace endure as examples of fashion’s most covetable goods.

The future — and glamorous past — of fashion is yours for the wearing. Find vintage clothing and accessories for sale on 1stDibs, including designs by Balenciaga, Valentino, Celine, Loewe and more.

Questions About Gianni Versace

Who was the real founder of Versace?
1 Answer
1stDibs ExpertOctober 15, 2024
The real founder of Versace was Gianni Versace. He was born in Calabria, Italy, in 1948. His mother was a successful dressmaker who employed more than 40 seamstresses. As a child, Gianni marveled at her workshop, which would become a university of sorts, where he learned the exceptional construction techniques that would be the foundation of his work. In 1972, at the age of 25, he moved to Milan to work in fashion. He launched his first collection and label in 1978, with his older brother Santo managing the business concerns. Soon, his sister Donatella joined the family venture, where she has had a creative role and managed enormously popular ready-to-wear lines such as Versus. On 1stDibs, find a collection of Versace apparel and accessories.