Versace.. Just add drama

Shock as icon quits £1.6billion family-run empire

- BY CALLY BROOKS

WHEN Jennifer Lopez wore a barely-there jungle print gown to the Grammys in 2000, the fashion world went into a frenzy. The famous dress, with a neckline that plunged past her navel, caused a spike in internet searches and reportedly resulted in the birth of Google Images.

While the singer would later call the dress her "biggest fashion moment ever", it was also a turning point for its designer - Donatella Versace.

Three years had passed since the then 45-year-old had taken over the luxury Italian fashion house after the murder of her brother Gianni.

Few observers had expected her reign to be anything more than a postscript to that of her brother... until that night.

Donatella racked up 27 years at the helm and became an icon in her own right, establishing Versace as a global household name.

And despite having no formal training, she oversaw hundreds of fashion campaigns, as well as designing hotels and dressing some of the world's biggest stars — cementing her status as one of the most successful designers in modern fashion history.

Versace was worth £1.6billion when it was sold to US firm Capri Holdings in 2018. Donatella was its creative director.