What is Versace Jeans Couture?

What is Versace Jeans Couture?

Versace Jeans Couture is a diffusion line of the famous Luxury Italian fashion house. Some say it’s a licensed brand, but it is actually not! VJC is a brand that focuses on more casual, younger, and maybe less affluent clientele.

As a quick reminder, Versace was founded in 1978 by Gianni Versace. Did you know that his full name was Giovanni Maria Versace? I said “was” as he passed in 1997, killed by a man who was a spree killer.

Gianni started as an apprentice for his mother’s sewing shop. He fell in love with ancient Greek history and later moved to Milan, where the fashion industry was heating.
Gianni worked for Byblos, the famous and very successful brand that specialized at the time in “Prêt-à-porter” (ready-to-wear). He worked there from 1973 until 1978, when he showed off his signature collection and later opened his first “boutique” on Via della Spiga in Milan.

Gianni became a sensation rapidly with his out-of-the-box designs – colorful, sexy, and bold. He said, “I don’t believe in good taste, and defied the rules of fashion.

His main fashion rival was Giorgio Armani. Many said that “Armani dresses the wife, Versace dresses the mistress.”

Here we are with a very artistic, bold, and avant-garde designer competing with other big names in the industry like Armani, who maybe has better business acumen and is targeting “new” markets like the USA and partnership with “old” brands such as the French L’Oréal.

In the 80s, many designers populated diffusion lines to distribute their designs to a wider audience who might fall in love with the fashion house then decide to purchase the root brand products.
The first Versace developed was Versus 1989, it was originally a gift to his sister Donatella. That line presented bags, denim, fragrance, dress, and also men’s products.

Other diffusion lines were developed: Versace Jeans, Versace Couture, Home Collection, and even a line specialized for children!

In 2018, the Versace group was acquired by… Michael Kors and incorporated into the Capri Group. The group reshaped Versace lines by merging Versus, Couture, and Jeans into Versace Jeans Couture. I recommend following the line #versacejeanscouture on social media.

 

Is Versace Jeans Couture, real Versace?

Yes, it definitely is, and it comes with some differences.

Look at these T-Shirts, the Barocco Patchwork T-Shirt for $1,195 by Versace – Beautiful, very colorful, and almost $1,200. Now, look at the Metallic Logo T-Shirt, simpler, way more wearable and only $125.

 

 

I can see myself wearing the second one daily, but the first one would be for special occasions. What about you?

Both T-Shirts are 100% Cotton, and the Versace is organic cotton, but does it justify the price difference? In my case, for the same $1,200 budget, I would buy several Versace Jeans Couture T-Shirts 🙂

A few products went off from the VJC catalogs. I’m talking about glasses, perfumes, jewelry, and other small accessories, but the price of those decreased quite a bit.

You still have the famous Signature Medusa Crystal Sunglasses at $1,600 a pair, but now you can get your Versace Enamel Medusa at $250 (about the price as the Versace Jeans a few years ago).

To resume, Versace lines changed a bit since the acquisition, but the concept is there, and any line you pick will be 100% a Versace product design but one of the most famous fashion houses.

When in Miami, don’t forget to try to visit the Villa Casa Casuarina, the Versace boutique hotel at 1116 Ocean Drive on South Beach. The mansion was built in 1930 by architect Alden Freeman. I say try as it’s quite pricey, the “cheapest” room is around $1,200 a night and it is almost impossible to find available dates.

You have to try the Gianni’s restaurant, and absolutely make a reservation to submerge yourself in an exquisite Versace luxury experience. It comes with a price tag – we paid about $100 per person with no expensive wines or champagne, but it was a perfectly luxurious date.