This year, the Italian fashion dynasty Versace is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. Its founder Gianni Versace would have turned eighty on 2 December. But in 1997, he was shot dead outside his home. His sister Donatella took over the running of the company. But she is not the only woman to play a prominent role in the brand’s story. For more than thirty years, Versace has been watched over by the iconic Medusa.
There are logos that contain the name of the brand. And then there are those that need no specific name. A golden shell, an apple, the letter C… and Medusa. All it takes is a fleeting glimpse of the oval face, wavy hair resembling snakes and a Greek ornament around her head, and there can be no doubt that you have just spotted Versace. It is perhaps one of the boldest symbols ever used by a fashion house.
When Versace was looking for a symbol for his brand, he did not need another pretty picture. He needed a face that could not be overlooked. Perhaps that is why he ultimately chose Medusa, one of the three Gorgons in Greek mythology. Her hair consists of snakes and she has a deadly gaze. The hero Perseus eventually kills her without looking directly into her eyes, instead using her reflection in his polished shield. But what Versace drew from the story above all was its sense of fascination. “Medusa means seduction… a dangerous attraction,” the fashion designer explained. Dangerous attraction. Two words that could easily appear beneath the logo, because that is precisely the effect of his fashion, which was never intended for a woman who wants to blend into the crowd.
When Medusa definitively became the distinctive symbol of the House of Versace around 1993, she was not simply placed inside an empty circle. She was surrounded by a Greek key pattern, the so-called meander. This ornament later became another of Versace’s distinctive features. Medusa thus sits at the centre of something that looks like an ancient coin, a shield or a fragment of a temple. But Versace does not see her as an archaeological find. He allows her to step out of history and into the present.
Gianni loved the opulence of the Renaissance, the drama of the Baroque, Byzantine gold and theatrical decorativeness. He was able to combine them in a way that an art historian might have described as audacious, but the fashion world loved him for it. Gold, black, red, plunging necklines, mosaics, columns, angels, crosses, ornaments and mythological animals. Everything could come together in a single design. Baroque could meet punk, antiquity could meet latex and a Greek goddess could meet a Hollywood star. And that is precisely why Medusa works so well. She is old enough to convey power and striking enough to look great on a handbag, buckle, shoe, piece of jewellery or in a huge advertising campaign. Versace thus made her not only a logo, but an artefact.
Gianni Versace understood something that we take for granted today – fashion needs its gods. But they cannot be hidden away in museums. They have to appear under the spotlights, on stages, in films, at parties and, above all, on red carpets. The innovative Versace brought fashion and celebrities together in a way that was unprecedented in the 1980s and 1990s. Famous models became supermodels, actresses became fashion icons and singers became modern goddesses. And Medusa felt right at home among them. Just think of Elizabeth Hurley and the famous black dress with gold safety pins from 1994, or Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammy Awards, when she wore a green Versace dress with a plunging neckline and tropical print. Photographers went wild, as did the entire internet, and Google later even cited the enormous interest in photographs of the dress as one of the inspirations behind the creation of Google Images. Versace knew how to create dresses that did not want to hide a woman. They wanted to make her visible, and they succeeded. At that moment, Medusa did not need to be on the dress. She was part of the wow effect created when a woman in Versace amazes those around her, people stare and the clothes become a unique event.
The world of Versace gradually created its own pantheon. Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and other supermodels whom Gianni helped turn into celebrities appeared in his shows. Then came another generation: Madonna, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Dua Lipa and Kim Kardashian. Women who are not merely famous, but have become images of themselves. And that is important, because Medusa is also an image. Her power lies in her gaze and in what it does to those who look at her. Celebrity culture uses the same mechanism. A celebrity appears, cameras start flashing and rolling, millions of people watch and the woman becomes an icon. That is why the Versace logo is so naturally associated with stars. Medusa and celebrities speak the same language – the language of fascination.
In fashion, fifty years is almost an eternity. Trends disappear or return in different forms. Silhouettes change, logos become simpler. What was once daring becomes kitsch, only to return twenty years later as vintage. But Medusa remains. Why? Because she is instantly recognisable. You do not need to know the history of Versace. You do not need to know who Gianni was, nor do you need to know Greek mythology. One glance is enough and you know.
WHY DOES THE VERSACE LOGO WORK?
It has a face. We remember a human face more easily than an abstract symbol.
It has a story. It is not a random symbol. It carries thousands of years of mythology.
It is both beautiful and frightening. It is precisely this contradiction that makes it exceptionally powerful for a luxury brand.
It can be transformed. It can be delicate, gold, black, enormous or minimalist – and it is still unmistakably Medusa.
It needs no translation. In Paris, Milan, New York or Tokyo, a single glance is enough and there is no need to say the name Versace.
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