MILAN — To be or not to be? That is the question surrounding the Donatella Versace-Riccardo Tisci match. Sources say the deal has hit a snag and it may not materialize after all.
One source said Tisci has signed the contract that would see him join the Italian company and that a floor at Versace’s Milan headquarters has been cleared for him. The source said that at least one designer from his staff is already in place at the location.
But now other sources said the talks have hit a glitch and may have broken down altogether. It is understood that The Blackstone Group, which bought a 20 percent stake in the Versace company in 2014, pushed to finalize the deal. It is unclear whether Tisci has a non-compete agreement following his departure from Givenchy in January.
As it has over the past few months, the Versace company continued not to comment on rumors or speculation.
WWD broke the news on Jan. 19 that Versace was eyeing Tisci, who has long expressed his admiration for the work of the late Gianni Versace and cultivated a close friendship with his sister, Donatella, whom he invited to pose in a Givenchy ad campaign in 2015. Tisci’s exit from Givenchy
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