"In the past, people were born royal. Nowadays, royalty comes from what you do"
About this Quote
The subtext is pure 1980s-90s glamour politics. Versace’s empire rose alongside celebrity culture’s acceleration, when models became supermodels, nightlife became a press circuit, and designers became auteurs with public personas. In that world, “what you do” isn’t only craft; it’s spectacle. You earn “royalty” through visibility, through narrative, through a signature that reads instantly from across a room. Versace’s own aesthetic - baroque, sexual, unapologetically loud - functions like regalia for a new court: pop stars, actors, moguls, and anyone with the confidence (and cash) to dress like they rule.
There’s a sly critique embedded too. If royalty is no longer born, it can also be bought, branded, and cycled. The crown doesn’t disappear; it migrates to marketplaces and magazine covers. Versace is selling aspiration, yes, but he’s also naming the age we live in: status as a project, identity as production, prestige as something you hustle into existence.
Quote Details
| Topic | Motivational |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite | Cite this Quote |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Versace, Gianni. (2026, January 15). In the past, people were born royal. Nowadays, royalty comes from what you do. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-past-people-were-born-royal-nowadays-90175/
Chicago Style
Versace, Gianni. "In the past, people were born royal. Nowadays, royalty comes from what you do." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-past-people-were-born-royal-nowadays-90175/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"In the past, people were born royal. Nowadays, royalty comes from what you do." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-the-past-people-were-born-royal-nowadays-90175/. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.








