Simply Abu Dhabi XXX

2 0 6 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I SAD:What are twoof your favouritememories fromthe last two decades? DV: I have so many amazing memories that we could stay here hours talking about them—until you’re blue in your face! It’s difficult to pick just a couple, but surely the tribute moment deserves a mention. It was such a special moment and it is still so vivid in my mind. It was a rollercoaster of emotions to get there but then it felt so good, such an unexpected surge of love. I would lie if I were to say that I was not nervous. That show wasn’t just any show to me. The night before, during the rehearsal, we were all crying. The process that led me to that day in September was an up and down of feelings. It was the first time I was going back to the archive, that I was touching my brother’s work. But going there, looking at what he did, selecting some of the pieces that I then recreated for the show and starting my work on his, building on his ideas with my eyes, was almost like a therapeutic process to me. It was liberating. And then the finale… everybody was screaming and clapping. I also sawmany guests crying. It was like coming back home after a long time, hand in hand with the people that love you. Naomi, Carla, Claudia, Cindy, Helena—they are amazing women and most of all they are good friends. SAD: Was it one of your career highlights? DV: I honestly think it should be for other people to judge… all I can say is that I felt a great honour when I received the Fashion Icon Award last December in London. Not because I feel like an icon of course—but because to me it was the recognition of what I’ve done in the last 20 years. Everybody says they do not care about these things, and of course it’s true, there are much more important things in life, like your kids, your family, your loved ones in general. Still, it is flattering and gratifying to be appreciated for your hard work. Then there is the Met Gala. Being a part of the most important fashion event in the world is exciting and especially this year when the theme is close to my heart as for the first time we will look at the influence of the Catholic religion on fashion, from a different perspective. Lastly, the CFDA Award for International Fashion Designer of the Year—I mean, if you’d told me that I would have achieved this amazing goal a year ago, I’d probably have laughed! SAD: How have you changed your approach to fashion and in creating collections over the last 20 years? DV:Well at the very beginning, in a way, I felt I was a bit trapped by my brother’s genius. I was afraid to go too close to his creations, or use the archive for inspiration, because I was scared people would then say, “Look—she’s copying her brother, she’s not as good as him!” So, I tried to do different things. Sometimes I also tried to move away from our DNA. Some experiments worked, some others didn’t, but that’s ok, it’s life! Recently, I feel I’ve finally found my own voice. I discovered that our immense archive is something that can teach me a lot and that it can be reinterpreted with the eyes of today. And that respecting our DNA does not mean copying my brother, but to bring the DNA of Versace into the society of today. Just think, when Gianni was alive the Internet did not even exist. Internet and social media have changed everything. Now we are looking at a consumer who dictates the trends. They are telling the designers what they want to wear not the other way around. This has had an incredible impact on the way we work and create the collections. SAD: What is the best fashion advice you ever received and who gave it to you? DV: Push all the boundaries and don’t be afraid of criticism. Don’t stop in front of difficulties. Of course it was Gianni’s mantra, one that he passed to me. He knew that fashion is not simply about clothes, but a way to communicate who you are. That’s why Versace’s clothes are not just garments, but they have something extra that makes them still relevant. He used the past to rewrite the future, he turned fashion into a living language. How did he do that? He was not afraid to dare, to ignore the rules. He hated playing it safe. And he got a lot of criticism for that. But it never took him down. He questioned himself of course, all smart people do that, but still he had the courage to carry on and believe in his dreams. This is the reason why he was unique and he is still remembered as one of the biggest artists and designer of our times. SAD: Which are the threemost iconic Versace dresses? DV: I think the first would be the safety pin dress worn by Elizabeth Hurley. She wore it at the premiere of Four Wedding and a Funeral in 1994 if I’m not wrong. She was accompanying her boyfriend of the time, Hugh Grant, and she was not as famous at all. The day after the event her picture was out in every newspaper of the world, for how stunning and fierce she looked with that dress. Do you know that dress has a dedicated page on Wikipedia? Then, from the same period, I would pick the metal mesh dresses pictured in an advertising campaign by Avedon. Those dresses are quintessentially Versace: they made the models look like Greek goddesses in liquid silver armours, so powerful and strong and yet still so sensual.