👑 Versace — Key Facts
| Current Owner | Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI) |
| Acquisition Price | $2.12 billion (December 2018) |
| Capri Holdings Brands | Versace + Michael Kors + Jimmy Choo |
| Donatella Versace | Chief Creative Officer; retained minority equity stake |
| Founded | 1978, Milan, Italy (by Gianni Versace) |
| Gianni Versace | Founder; murdered July 15, 1997 (Miami Beach) |
Versace (Gianni Versace S.r.l.) is owned by Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI), which acquired the Italian luxury fashion house in December 2018 for $2.12 billion. Capri Holdings is an American luxury fashion conglomerate that also owns Michael Kors and Jimmy Choo. Donatella Versace, sister of founder Gianni Versace, retained a minority equity stake and continues as the brand’s Chief Creative Officer.
Who Is the Owner of Versace?
Versace is owned by Capri Holdings Limited (NYSE: CPRI), led by Chairman and CEO John Idol. Capri Holdings acquired Versace in December 2018 from the Versace family for $2.12 billion — a substantial premium that reflected Versace’s powerful global brand despite relatively modest revenues at the time. The acquisition made Capri the first meaningful rival to the European luxury giants (LVMH, Kering, Richemont) as a multi-brand luxury platform, though it remains much smaller. Donatella Versace negotiated to retain a minority equity stake and her role as Chief Creative Officer, ensuring continuity in the brand’s DNA. Her brother Santo Versace sold his stake in the deal.
The Versace Story: Gianni’s Murder and Donatella’s Stewardship
Gianni Versace founded the house in Milan in 1978, building one of fashion’s most recognizable aesthetic languages — bold prints, classical Greco-Roman motifs, body-conscious cuts, and the Medusa-head logo. He dressed celebrities, royalty, and rock stars, turning the brand into a cultural force beyond fashion. His life was cut short when he was murdered on the steps of his South Beach mansion on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan. After his death, his sister Donatella Versace assumed creative control. Donatella’s stewardship has been complex — she battled personal difficulties in the early 2000s but successfully stabilized and modernized the brand, making it relevant for a new generation of luxury consumers.
The Tapestry-Capri Merger Attempt
In August 2023, Tapestry Inc. (parent of Coach, Kate Spade, Stuart Weitzman) announced a $8.5 billion deal to acquire Capri Holdings. The combination would have created the largest American luxury fashion conglomerate. However, in October 2024, a US federal judge granted the FTC’s request for a preliminary injunction to block the deal on antitrust grounds, ruling that the acquisition would harm competition in the accessible luxury handbag market. Tapestry subsequently abandoned the acquisition. As a result, Versace remains under Capri Holdings’ ownership.
