What inspired this new collection?
Donatella Versace (DV): In everything I do, whether it’s a dress, a new print, or as in this case, a piece of furniture, there are so many elements that come into play.

Inspiration can come from many things, some of them even obvious, but you need to have the eye to see beyond the surface, to glimpse that special something that is behind everything we surround ourselves with. It could be a book I am reading or a piece from the archive or a song. It doesn’t make a difference: what’s important is that it makes me think.

Today, I look a lot at social media to understand what people want. I think it is a powerful tool to remain in touch with what is happening in society, but you need to be careful on how you use it because there’s also a lot of pretense in what we see: at the end of the day, we are projecting an image that we want other people to believe in and it’s not always real.

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Could you describe your vision for the new Versace Home collection?
DV: Never take yourself too seriously! We’ve played around, but we haven’t forgotten that we’re talking to demanding consumers. All the pieces are designed as part of an environment, but for me, it’s important that—taken individually—they could be placed in a pre-existing place. I’m also thinking about (combining) functionality with aesthetics: clean lines, meticulous details, linear geometries.

The Versace Home collection is very much in demand, and we have now achieved a surprisingly broad offer for a fashion house. Furthermore, creativity, craftsmanship, and quality have always been concepts linked to my brand. We are second to none. Made in Italy is not simply a label, but a set of values and a guarantee of quality that no one in the world can boast.

For Versace, having a home line means being able to offer anyone who wants it the chance to enter a world where the various elements that make it up speak and echo. We were one of the first brands to launch a home line and I’m glad we can still talk about it today.

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How do you keep a heritage brand relevant and desirable in these fast-changing times?
DV: Versace has a history that only a few other fashion houses can boast about. What I’ve tried to do over the years is innovate the brand and take it into the future. This meant not taking the brand as it was, dusting it off and proposing it again, but questioning it, reworking it, rereading it through the eyes of today’s consumers.

Tell us more about the new Versace Home flagship in Milan.
DV: I love all the rooms of the new Versace Home boutique. The link between fashion and architecture is one of the characteristics of Versace. Vudafieri-Saverino Partners realised the design of the store. They interpreted it by giving value to classical style and combining it with contemporary elements.

How has the pandemic changed your mindset of home and its importance?
DV: The possibility of going to the office has long been taken for granted. People have now reconsidered not only the way they work but also the way they live in their homes.

Pattern play: yes or no? Why or why not?   
DV: I love mixing and matching different patterns. Versace has so many iconic symbols in its history that it’s very easy for me to propose new ones. My role is not taking the brand as it was, dusting it off and proposing it again, but questioning it, reworking it, rereading it through the eyes of today's consumers. This year, we propose for fashion and home decoration La Greca pattern, I literally adore this print.   

Complete the sentence: You’ll never see ____ in my home.
DV: Flat shoes.

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