What happened to Versace's Instagram profile?

On Versace's Instagram profile of nearly 30 million followers, only featured stories and the iconic golden Medusa appear. Two weeks after the acquisition of Capri Holdings, the company that owns the Italian fashion house, by US-based Tapestry Inc., the brand is preparing for a new social media marketing scheme set to debut on Thursday 23 August. According to Versace's announcement, the new «magazine-style» format that will be implemented to unveil the Fall 2023 collection campaign will serve to improve the house's storytelling, making Versace's editorial style even more solid and consistent.

Some photos of the campaign have already been published, black and white images shot by the duo Mert and Marcus that portray some of the industry's most famous faces - Gigi Hadid, Anok Yai, Angelina Kendall and Karolina Spakowski - against a white backdrop. According to a preview shared on Donatella Versace's Instagram profile, Irina Shayk also participated in the shoot. «Our latest campaign celebrates everything I love about Versace,» reads the caption of the designer's post. «The power, the tailoring, the attitude. On set the models felt strong, empowered, and fierce-exactly how you should feel when you wear Versace.»

Deleting all content on one's social page is a common practice for brands facing massive rebranding, but for Versace, acquired by Capri Holdings in 2018, this is a first. Saint Laurent and Balenciaga are the most famous cases, but these are joined by the more recent Burberry, following the appointment of new creative director Daniel Lee, and then Bottega Veneta, which instead decided to deactivate its profile entirely, replacing it with a digital magazine.