Donatella was always interested only in a career in the fashion and model industry, stating; "I knew I was going to work in fashion; I really didn't think of nothing else." The three travelled to the United States in 1977 on a three-week tour in search of press and overseas buyers in anticipation of starting the Versace brand. The Versace brand was established in 1978, with Donatella as vice president. She collaborated with Gianni across all projects, especially in styling, creating the brand image, and designing the brand's accessories, shoes, and handbags. During 1996 and early 1997, with Gianni Versace recovering from a cancer of the left ear, Donatella took over much of the decision-making for the Versace brand. She is often cited as developing the Versace look. Donatella worked with fashion photographer
Richard Avedon on the Spring-Summer 1980 campaign shoot, In the aftermath of the highly publicized crime and manhunt, most of the Versace family, including Donatella, moved temporarily to a secluded private resort in the
Caribbean. Her brother,
Santo Versace, inherited 30% of Versace upon Gianni's death and her daughter,
Allegra Versace, inherited 50%. Gianni Versace's book
The Art of Being You, published posthumously in 1997, includes a dedication to Gianni from Donatella and Santo which reads "This book is a tribute to a great artist himself, to someone who lived with an incredible love for art, to a very special person who was always fascinated by art and artists and always supported them, our brother Gianni". On 18 July 1998, one year and three days after Gianni's death, Donatella Versace mounted her first
haute couture show for the Versace Atelier at the
Hôtel Ritz Paris. She built her runway over the hotel's swimming pool, as her brother had done every season, though this time using sheer glass. From October 2002 to January 2003, Gianni and Donatella's best known Versace clothing was displayed in a special exhibit of the
Victoria and Albert Museum in
London. Donatella has designed advertising campaigns for Versace that included
Madonna,
Courtney Love,
Christina Aguilera,
Jonathan Rhys Meyers,
Demi Moore,
Nicki Minaj,
Lady Gaga,
Beyoncé and
January Jones. She designed the
green Versace dress of
Jennifer Lopez, also known as the "Jungle-Dress", which was worn by Lopez at the
42nd Grammy Awards in 2000. In 2015, she appeared in the AW15 ad campaign of its direct competitor
Givenchy. Donatella designed the
Palazzo Versace Australia resort on the
Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, which opened in September 2000, and played a major role in the design of the
Palazzo Versace Dubai, the second Palazzo Versace hotel, which opened in November 2016. She also designed a
Mini Cooper car for the
Life Ball. In September 2017, Donatella Versace set up a tribute show dedicated to her brother. On March 12, 2025, after almost 28 years as CEO of the Versace brand, she announced her departure, a position she will hold until the summer when
Dario Vitale, the former design and image director of Italian brand
Miu Miu will take over. ==Personal life==