At 71, Donatella Versace announces she’s creating a new brand from scratch: “If it can’t be called Versace anymore, what will she design?”
If you take away the name “Versace,” what is it that Donatella most wants to hold on to?
Summary
・ After stepping down from the brand role she had helmed for nearly 30 years, Donatella Versace announced a joint venture with REVOLVE Group, where she will serve as chief creative officer and launch an entirely new personal business. ・ The new brand will break free from the constraints of past brand archives and iconic symbols, building from scratch a product range that spans Fashion and Beauty, expected to roll out starting in 2027. ・ By choosing to partner with REVOLVE, which focuses on digital communities and a new generation of consumers, the venture is mapping out a presence in the US, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, opening a direct dialogue with the next generation. ・ At 71, she is stepping out from the shadow of a legendary surname and its historical baggage, showing the daring spirit of no longer needing to defend an existing brand framework and instead returning to fashion’s starting line powered purely by her own creativity.
In fashion, Donatella Versace and Versace have long been almost impossible to separate. After taking over the brand following the death of her brother, Gianni Versace, she carried its golden Medusa, sexy silhouettes, and unapologetic glamour into the fashion memory of an entire generation. For nearly 30 years, we’ve grown used to the idea that “Donatella is Versace.” Yet at 71, she has decided to start again. This time, there is no familiar Medusa and no Versace surname in the brand name. Everything is truly starting from a blank page.
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After leaving Versace, she finally has a “blank page”
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After stepping down as Versace’s creative director in 2025, Donatella Versace did not leave fashion behind. She has now officially announced a new joint venture with REVOLVE Group, where she will serve as Chief Creative Officer and create a new brand spanning fashion and beauty. It is also the first time since leaving Versace, which she led for nearly 30 years, that she has returned to a position with full creative control. Even more intriguing, the brand has not yet revealed its name. There is no Medusa, no Versace archive, and no established house codes for her to carry forward. For the first time, it makes you wonder: without the name “Versace,” what does Donatella most want to retain?
Why REVOLVE of all partners?
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Another surprise is that Donatella chose not to partner with a traditional luxury group, instead turning to REVOLVE, which is known for its reach among millennials, Gen Z, and digital communities. REVOLVE has long engaged young consumers through influencers, celebrities, and a data-driven e-commerce model, with a platform that connects more than 1,000 emerging and established brands. For Donatella, it may also be an opportunity to reconnect with the next generation. The new brand is expected to begin with beauty before expanding into fashion, initially targeting the United States, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East. Products are expected to launch in 2027.
Starting over at 71 may be the most Donatella thing she could do
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Looking back at Donatella’s career, she spent a long time grappling with a difficult question: how to preserve the world her brother Gianni Versace left behind while moving it forward. Now that Versace has entered a new chapter, she no longer has to ask, “Is this Versace enough?” There is still no answer as to what the new brand will be called or what it will look like, and that is precisely what makes it so exciting. At 71, with nearly half a century of fashion experience, she is willing to stand at the starting line again. Rather than simply saying she has “left Versace,” a more fitting description of Donatella’s current moment may be this: she finally has the chance to see what she can create once all the familiar symbols are removed.
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