Donatella Versace on Prince: “He Didn’t Just Influence My Work, He Epitomized What Versace Stands For”

Prince died tragically two years ago this coming Saturday, but Donatella Versace still misses him dearly. Their lives and careers intersected for at least two decades.

In 2011, Prince performed at the New York launch for her H&M x Versace collab, with a then–almost unknown Nicki Minaj as his opening act. The crowd waited eagerly for what felt like hours to hear his hits; having revved them up, they then cleaned out the pop-up boutique adjoining the party. Prince also played at Donatella’s Spring 2007 post-show bash at the Versace theater in Milan after a collection that Vogue Runway called “a tour-de-force performance in the corsetry department.” (Here are the photos to prove it.)

Rewind to 1996 when Donatella’s brother Gianni was still alive, and the performer, who had dropped his name in favor of a strange, unpronounceable glyph (the result of his feud with Warner Bros.) was the star of a Versace campaign lensed by Richard Avedon. In 1995, a compact disc containing remixes of tracks that would appear later that year on Prince’s record The Gold Experience was distributed to guests at an Atelier Versace couture presentation in Paris. Fashion show memorabilia collectors should go on a deep dive through their archives; in the months after Prince’s death, a copy of The Versace Experience, as the promo record was called, apparently sold for more than $4,000 online.

Prince remained in the habit of sharing unreleased music with the Versaces until his death. It was a batch of songs he sent Donatella in January of 2016, a few months before he passed away, that she played at her Spring 2017 menswear show. The collection was in part a tribute to the late pop star, featuring his signature jabots, which were worn by both male and female models, and a couple of head-to-toe purple outfits. To honor the second anniversary of his death, Donatella answered several questions about Prince for Vogue.com.

Prince changed music. How did he change men’s fashion?

He showed to men what playing with your own image really meant. He showed men how to dare and, most importantly, to not be afraid to be who they are. He ignored rules, he did what made him feel good without caring of people’s judgment. I am so proud to have called him a friend.

In what ways did Prince influence your work at Versace?

He didn’t just influence my work, he epitomized what Versace stands for. Creative, fierce, daring, extraordinary . . . He created an aura of uniqueness around himself that very few artists in history have been able to do. He was not afraid to show who he truly was, and that’s a lesson also my brother Gianni taught me.

What do you miss most about Prince?

Him. His presence in my life. The grand gestures he was able to do as well as the small things. His generosity, his creativity, his heart. I miss everything because he was one-of-a-kind.

Donatella on Prince: “He Didn’t Just Influence My Work, He Epitomized What Versace Stands For”

Versace Spring 2017 menswear
Versace Spring 2017 menswear
Photo: Indigital.tv
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
Photo: Indigital.tv
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
Photo: Indigital.tv
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
Photo: Indigital.tv
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
A woman’s look at Versace Spring 2017 menswear
Photo: Indigital.tv
Donatella Versace takes her bow in Prince’s signature purple at her Versace Spring 2017 menswear show
Donatella Versace takes her bow in Prince’s signature purple at her Versace Spring 2017 menswear show
Photo: Indigital.tv