Punk and high Italian glamour may be strange bedfellows, but when Donatella turned them into a style in the early 90s, she provided fashion with a new, provocative energy. What's more the Versus Versace archive has been a cult source of research since its inception, particularly amongst young designers. As part of Donatella’s strategy to realise its revival, Belgian-Italian designer Anthony Vaccarello follows a string of high-profile collaborators such as Christopher Kane, M.I.A. and J.W.Anderson to design a Versus capsule. That her choice of collaborators to carry the Versus name have all grown up in the 90s and are provocateurs in their own right is no coincidence.
Since launching his label in 2009, Vaccarello has proven a natural at body-baring dresses, high on edgy sex appeal. The 32-year-old designer has carved out such a consistent image of his woman – one of brandished sexuality – that he’s been faulted for being overly specific. Yet Vaccarello has stuck to his guns – one can’t get more punk in spirit than that. Other than his commitment to black, he’s close in spirit and aesthetic to the storied Italian house. The collection is certainly less colourful than past collaborators', but promises clean, graphic lines featuring signature risqué cut outs accentuated with classic Versus studs, pins, and a body-con silhouette.
Ahead of the SS15 season, Dazed commissioned filmmaker and Nick Knight collaborator Marie Schuller, to debut this new joint force – shown at Versus's New York 2014 show.