Versace presented its first women’s collection in 1978 in Milan. The show took place at the Palazzo della Permanente, an important Milanese art and exhibition venue, and helped establish Gianni Versace as an independent fashion name.
The collection marked a decisive step beyond Versace’s earlier work for established Italian labels. During the early 1970s, Gianni had designed for companies including Callaghan, Genny and Complice. By 1978, he and his family had created the company Gianni Versace Donna, giving his designs a distinct identity and a direct route to customers.
The debut is sometimes confused with Versace’s first boutique, which also opened in Milan in 1978, on Via della Spiga. A further distinction is that the first women’s collection came before the house’s first men’s collection, which followed in 1979.
Milan mattered because it was already Italy’s central fashion-industry hub, connecting designers with manufacturers, buyers, journalists and international clients. The city remained central to Versace’s identity even as the brand expanded globally.