In terms of fashion, this year has arguably belonged to the house of Versace. On the 20th anniversary of Gianni Versace's untimely death, his sister, vice president Donatella has devoted 2017 to honouring the brand’s beloved founder.
For the unveiling of the SS18 catwalk collection back in September, the show paid tribute to Gianni’s iconic AW91 show, in which he crystallised the era of the supermodel by gathering Christy Turlington, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford to mouth the words to George Michael’s "Freedom" on the catwalk. A reunion for the ages, the supers stood side-by-side once again this year, with the same track playing and a voice behind the screen saying, “This is for you, Gianni”.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
The year may almost be over, but Donatella Versace continues to storm 2017 with an incredible SS18 campaign featuring Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Gisele Bündchen that honours the Italian fashion house's history as well as her brother's legacy.
Earlier this month, at this year’s Fashion Awards, Donatella was given the Fashion Icon Award, an accolade presented in recognition of her work as Artistic Director at Versace. In an emotional speech she said, “We have celebrated empowerment, joy and, of course, glamour. We have championed a community of people who share our values and together with them have created truly iconic images in the world of fashion."
"I am truly humbled by how Versace has been embraced across the decades, across the world and across the generations. Thank you to the industry for your support of us, thank you to my team for their loyalty and incredibly hard work, thank you to my family and friends who have supported me more than they can know and thank you to the genius that was my brother Gianni. His incredible spirit is in everything we do and everything we stand for.”
And now the brand’s SS18 campaign has been released, and it looks every inch as fabulous as September’s show. Shot by legendary photographer Steven Meisel, Naomi Campbell returns alongside Gisele Bündchen, Irina Shayk, Christy Turlington, Natalia Vodianova and Raquel Zimmermann. A new generation of models feature, too, with Gigi Hadid, Grace Elizabeth, Cara Taylor, Birgit Kos and Vittoria Ceretti fronting the campaign. Makeup was crafted by none other than Pat McGrath, who was also honoured at the Fashion Awards, and hair is by Guido Palau.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
“This campaign represents the link between past and present. You need to know who you are, and where you are coming from, to build your future," Donatella stated in a brand press release. "And when you are at the head of a brand with such a strong heritage as mine, you can only embrace it. This is the reason why I wanted to see this iconic super model cast next to the soon-to-be-iconic girls of the future.”
With Farfetch currently hosting 500 vintage Versace pieces for sale on site, and American Crime, a small-screen series documenting Gianni’s 1997 murder, out in January 2018, we don’t think Versace fever will peter out any time soon.