The youngest of Versace siblings, Donatella had a particularly strong bond with her brother Gianni the founder of the storied label — she became head designer at Versus in 1994 — and was the natural successor to him after his death in 1997. Ms Versace debuted her first collection for Atelier Spring/Summer 1998 on a see-through catwalk held over the swimming pool at the Ritz Hotel in Paris which resulted in instant acclaim from industry insiders.
