Santo Versace on fashion, cinema, and philanthropy

Santo Versace, eldest brother of Gianni Versace, discusses his post-fashion life in an interview. Born in Reggio Calabria on December 16, 1944 (registered January 2, 1945), he studied accounting and earned a degree in Economics and Commerce in Messina. He worked briefly at Banca del Credito Italiano before joining his brother in Milan in the late 1960s. In 1972, he founded Gianni Versace S.p.a. in Reggio Calabria, serving as president until the sale to Capri Holding on December 31, 2018. He co-founded Altagamma in 1992 and served as a parliamentary deputy from 2008 for the full XVI legislature. After selling the company, he shifted focus to cinema and philanthropy. He is president and shareholder of Minerva Pictures, which won two Golden Lions at the 2022 Venice Film Festival for Alice Diop's 'Saint Omer,' also France's Oscar candidate. In 2014, he married Francesca De Stefano, a lawyer and former Ministry of Economy executive. Together they founded the Fondazione Santo Versace on March 14, 2023, a philanthropic entity registered with RUNTS. The foundation supports non-profits aiding social and physical fragility through quality education, with all administrative costs covered by the couple. Versace emphasizes female empowerment, citing his mother and his wife's grandmother and mother as role models. He still occasionally attends fashion shows with his wife.