Santo Versace

He was born on 16 December 1944 in Reggio Calabria, where he grew up with his younger siblings Gianni and Donatella, along with their father, Antonio, and dressmaker mother, Francesca. An older sister, Tina, died at the age of twelve from an improperly treated tetanus infection.^[6] By age six, Versace joined his father as he continued to work after school and during summer until he attended university. When he was not in school, he helped take care of his younger sister, Donatella. Like his brother Gianni, he attended Reggio Calabria's Liceo Classico Tommaso Campanella, where he studied Latin and Ancient Greek.

In 1981, Versace married Christiana Ragazzi. The couple had two children, Francesca Christiana and Antonio Tina Santo. The marriage ended in divorce in 2004. Versace remarried in 2014 to lawyer Francesca de Stefano.

In 1968, Santo graduated from the University of Messina with a degree in economics.^[7] He began working first as a banker in Reggio Calabria for Credito Italiano and later as a high school teacher of economics and geography. In 1972, he completed his military service as an officer in the "Genova Cavalleria." Upon completion of his service, Santo opened his own accounting office in both Reggio Calabria and Milan.

En 1976, se trasladó definitivamente a Milán, donde empezó a trabajar a tiempo completo con su hermano. Gianni Versace SpA se fundó en 1977, con Santo Versace ^{[ 8 ]} como director ejecutivo hasta 2004. Santo desempeñó un papel fundamental en el éxito de la marca Versace, centrándose en la comunicación, la organización, la productividad y la calidad. Supervisó todas las áreas del negocio —incluidas las ventas, la distribución, la producción y las finanzas— y rápidamente se convirtió en uno de los empresarios más destacados y respetados del sector.

En 1998, Santo fue nombrado presidente de la Cámara Italiana de la Moda, cargo que ocupó desde 1998 hasta 1999.

Desde 1998 es accionista del Viola Reggio Calabria Basketball. De junio de 1998 a octubre de 1999 fue presidente de la Cámara Nacional de la Moda Italiana. Es presidente de Operation Smile Italy Onlus, una asociación de médicos y voluntarios que atiende a niños con malformaciones faciales en 70 países de todo el mundo.

En 2019 creó la Fondazione Santo Versace, una organización benéfica que apoya el trabajo humanitario tanto en Italia como en el extranjero. ^{[ 9 ]}