I Never Fall Down. I Always Fight.
I’m on a plane, flying back to NYC, lost in the glow of the screen. The city lights are just beginning to prick the darkness below, but my mind is in Milan in the '90s. I’ve just finished watching Gianni Versace, the Emperor of Dreams, and I’m struck by a quote from the man himself, a line so potent it feels like the very DNA of entrepreneurship.
"I never fall down. I always fight."
I’m in tears. Tears of joy. Tears of inspiration. Tears of the privilege to be born during such hard, but also magnificent times.
This quote isn't just a soundbite to me. It's a manifesto. It’s the unwritten rule for anyone who dares to build something from nothing, to fight for a vision that only they can see. I see that vision for myself, for Camille, for Billy. I see it and it’s so close.
As the film ended, I realized this creed wasn't just about Gianni. It was a two-part masterclass, perfectly and tragically embodied by the two siblings who built the house: Gianni and Donatella.
Gianni’s fight was the fight of the architect. Donatella's was the fight of the protector. And together, they provide the ultimate blueprint for what it truly means to build a legacy.
Through this, I also see myself in Donatella. I truly love my brother so deeply and he probably doesn’t even know how much. He’s my everything and without him every day would be a struggle to survive, but I would because I know that he feels the same about me.
We’re so lucky to still have each other. Donatella had less time, yet she created magic out of it.
Let’s get into it while I sit here and keep crying.
Gianni's Fight The Battle to Build the Dream
It’s easy to see the glamour of Versace now and assume it was always destined for greatness. But the documentary is a powerful reminder that Gianni Versace was a revolutionary. He didn't just design clothes; he waged a cultural war.
He was the "emperor of dreams," inspired by the deep thinkers, artists, and rebels of the past. He fought against the established, "tasteful" order of Milan, which found his work vulgar and loud. He fought to bring sexuality, pop culture, art, and rock-and-roll crashing onto the runway. He fought for his vision when no one else understood it.
His fight was external. It was the battle of the founder, the visionary, the disruptor who has to create a world that doesn't yet exist. He built the empire.
Donatella's Fight The Battle to Save a Soul
Then, the unthinkable happened. The architect was gone, and the empire he built was left without its emperor, teetering on the edge of collapse.
As I watched this part of the film, my mind went immediately to my own younger brother. Just thinking about the bond we have, that unexplainable sibling connection, makes me emotional. In that moment, watching Donatella, I felt a profound, spiritual connection to her. I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I would have done exactly the same.
The world expected her to fail. They saw her as the muse, the party girl, not the leader. They were wrong. She stepped into an impossible void, in the shadow of a certified genius, in the face of unimaginable, public grief, and she fought.
Her fight was different. It was internal. It was a fight to save not just a company, but a legacy. A fight to protect her brother's name, his vision, and his soul from being dismantled and forgotten.
This is the "baddie" energy we so often misunderstand. It's not just about a look or an attitude. It’s a form of fierce, profound loyalty. It’s the resilience to stand in the fire, to take the hits, and to refuse to let the dream die. That is a power that cannot be faked.
The Dual-Sided Creed Every Founder Needs
This is the true, dual-sided Versace legacy. It is a masterclass in two distinct, non-negotiable forms of resilience.
Gianni teaches us how to fight for our dream when we are the only ones who can see it.
Donatella teaches us how to fight for that dream when the original visionary is no longer there to protect it. She’s the example of that ultimate soulmate connection you can have with your sibling — that bond that is here for eternity and beyond. What a baddie.
For any founder, this is the entire journey. First, you fight to build your vision. Then, you fight to sustain it, to protect its soul from a world that will try to dilute it, acquire it, or misunderstand it.
The Versace story isn't just about fashion. It’s an emotional, powerful lesson in what it takes to build something timeless. It's a reminder that at the heart of every great empire—and every great mentor—is not just a brilliant idea, but an unshakeable, fighting spirit.
