Donatella Versace steps down as head of Versace

Donatella Versace announced Thursday that she is stepping down as chief creative officer of Versace, ending her nearly 30-year-long stint at the Italian luxury fashion empire's helm.

Donatella Versace announced Thursday that she is stepping down as chief creative officer of Versace, ending her nearly 30-year-long stint at the Italian luxury fashion empire's helm.

Versace, 69, took on the role to lead the luxury fashion house after her brother and its founder, Gianni Versace, was fatally gunned down outside his Miami Beach mansion in 1997.

"It has been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy," Versace wrote on Instagram. "He was the true genius, but I hope I have some of his spirit and tenacity."

Following her brother's death — and despite not having a background in design or fashion — Versace quickly became a living embodiment of the Versace brand and remains a beloved figure within the fashion industry.

Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace.Toni Thorimbert / Sygma via Getty Images fileThe 69-year-old's iconic pin-straight blond hair and her unparalleled ability to bring together the industry's top models, including Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford, for the fashion house's out-of-this-world runway shows became as emblematic of the brand as its gold mythological logo.Emmanuel Gintzburger, CEO of Versace — whose parent company is fashion conglomerate Capri Holdings — said that the brand "is what it is today because of Donatella Versace and the passion she has brought to her role every day for nearly thirty years."

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/donatella-versace-steps-head-versace-rcna196196

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