Allegra Versace

Allegra Versace Beck, born on June 30, 1986, is an Italian-American socialite and heiress. She is best known for her connection to the luxury fashion brand Gianni Versace S.p.A., where she has served as a director since 2011. Alongside her role within the family fashion enterprise, she has worked in New York City as a theatrical dresser.

Versace is the daughter of Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace and former American fashion model Paul Beck, and she is the niece of fashion designer Gianni Versace. She was raised outside Milan, Italy, alongside her younger brother, Daniel. During her childhood, she took ballet classes for nine years and developed a lifelong passion for the art form, which she credits her uncle Gianni for instilling in her. For one of her birthdays, her uncle introduced her to Maurice Béjart. She was also gifted a piano by Sir Elton John, though she admits she never learned to play it.

Versace completed her early education at The British School of Milan, which was then known as The Sir James Henderson School, where she was tightly guarded. After finishing her secondary education, she went abroad for her university studies. She first attended Brown University in Rhode Island and later enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles in 2006, where she studied French, art history, and theatre.

In July 1997, at eleven years old, Versace lost her uncle Gianni Versace when he was fatally shot outside his Miami mansion. In the aftermath of his death, her mother immediately sought counseling for her. Gianni bequeathed his 50 percent ownership stake in Gianni Versace S.p.A. to Allegra due to a long-standing disagreement between her mother, who owned 20 percent, and her uncle Santo Versace, who owned 30 percent.

Upon reaching her 18th birthday, Versace officially inherited her 50 percent share of the company, instantly becoming worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Although she had the legal right to assume full control over her inheritance at the age of 18, she opted to concentrate fully on her university studies rather than immediately joining the family business.

Versace began her actual participation in the business operations of the Versace empire at the age of 24, subsequently becoming a company director in 2011. In her personal life, she has struggled with anorexia nervosa.