Gianni Versace

While grunge and minimalism were stripping fashion down, Gianni Versace was doing the exact opposite. His clothes were bright, sexy, loud, and luxurious, and he stands for the glamorous side of the 1990s more than anyone.

He was born in 1946 in Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy, where his mother was a dressmaker, and he learned the trade in her workshop. After working for other Milan labels, he founded his own house in 1978, working closely with his sister Donatella and brother Santo. His style was established by the 1980s: bold baroque prints in gold, black, and brilliant colours; classical motifs, including the Medusa head that became his logo; metal mesh; and figure-hugging, body-conscious cuts.

In the early 1990s he became closely tied to the supermodels. His autumn/winter 1991 show famously ended with Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, and Christy Turlington walking the runway together, lip-syncing to George Michael's "Freedom! '90," an image that captured the supermodels' star power. He also used celebrities brilliantly, dressing pop stars, actors, and royalty. His autumn/winter 1992 collection, which borrowed from bondage wear with leather straps and buckles, caused a sensation, and hip-hop stars like Lil' Kim later made Versace a symbol of hip-hop luxury.

The most famous Versace dress of the decade appeared in 1994, when Elizabeth Hurley, then little known, wore a black dress held together at the sides with large gold safety pins to the London premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral. The photographs made her famous overnight and became one of the most reproduced fashion images of the 1990s.

In July 1997, Gianni Versace was shot dead outside his house in Miami Beach by a serial killer, Andrew Cunanan. His death shocked the fashion world, and his funeral in Milan was attended by celebrities including Princess Diana, weeks before her own death. Donatella Versace took over as creative director and led the house for more than a quarter of a century, stepping down in 2025. I think Versace's legacy is his fearless glamour: he believed clothes should be joyful, sensual, and a bit outrageous, and a lot of the decade's red-carpet style grew from that belief.