The symbol in the logo of the Italian fashion house Versace is Medusa.
Gianni Versace selected the head of Medusa from Greek mythology as the house’s emblem. The image was inspired by a floor mosaic near the ruins of the family’s home in Reggio Calabria, where Gianni and his siblings played as children. In the myth, Medusa’s gaze turns viewers to stone.
The symbol suited Versace’s bold aesthetic because it suggested fascination, danger, glamour, and an inability to look away. It became one of fashion’s most recognizable logos and appears across clothing, accessories, packaging, and home products.
Medusa is sometimes mistaken for a generic female portrait or a sea-related figure, but the logo specifically represents the mythological Gorgon. The emblem should also be distinguished from Versace’s Greek Key, another recurring design motif associated with the brand.