Donatella VERSACE just recognized the reason why I started therapy.

I've never been this exposed so please be nice.

Hola,

Fashion, like most industries, is currently and constantly going through a game of musical chairs when it comes to the people at the top. Creative directors at major fashion houses are either being fired or hired by other equally well-known brands in the luxury universe. However, this week, the news that made the biggest impact for me and for true fashion lovers was the official announcement that the iconic Donatella Versace had decided to step down as creative director of Versace and pass the baton to young Italian designer Dario Vitale—nearly thirty years after the tragic death of her brother Gianni, who founded and creatively shaped one of fashion’s most famous and iconic brands.

As you can see, every major media outlet on Instagram announced the news from a very straightforward journalistic point of view, as they should. However, when these things happen, I tend to wait and see the post from the designer and read their personal goodbyes to maybe establish some sort of connection and better understand the reasons behind these changes. But more often than not, I find that for most of them, these are just jobs—or even if they feel touched and deeply emotionally affected by switching jobs or getting fired, the pressure to be grateful and politically correct in a farewell statement, so they don’t ruin their chances of getting another job, has made these statements cold, inauthentic, and ambiguous.

This was NOT the case with Donatella’s personal announcement. She wasn’t just leaving a job at a company; she was leaving the position with her last name on it. She was stepping down from leading the legacy she was obligated to keep alive after her brother was shot dead. The words she chose to convey in a single sentence brought me to tears and made me reflect on my own life in a way that I’m still figuring out how to express. So here is my best attempt to explain to you why this affected me and why I understood her pain and struggle so well.