Donatella Versace played an unreleased song by Prince at her fashion house’s Men’s SS17 show at the weekend.
The 61-year-old Italian fashion designer used the tune to soundtrack her collection for Milan Fashion Week, and revealed the late pop legend – who passed away in April at the age of 57 from a drugs overdose – gave her the song as a "personal gift".
The press notes for the show read: "The soundtrack features never-before-heard music by Prince, which was written and recorded as a personal gift to Donatella Versace.
"Donatella would like to use this special occasion as an opportunity to share this incredible music from a dear, and much missed friend."
Donatella had been close friends with Prince for many years and she wanted to play the staccato guitar track – who she claims was specifically written for her fashion house in 1995 – as a tribute to the ‘Raspberry Beret’ hitmaker.
She said: "He had been sending me songs for years – it was his way of communicating. Just hearing his voice again makes me smile.
"It was a privilege and an honour to have Prince as my friend, and so it was my privilege to be able to share them with the audience. I wanted people to hear how playful he was, how joyous, how creative, how pure a genius. The biggest tribute you can pay to him is to play his music, and to keep his memory alive.
Donatella believes the show was a fitting way to honour Prince, as he was so adventurous and outrageous when it came to the way he dressed.
She added: "I love men who can dress beyond rules and codes. Prince set his own rules and did what he wanted – he wore high heels, showed his body, chose strong colour, did whatever pleased him. He loved to play with fashion, to provoke and shock. I was in awe of him, always."
Since Prince died, there has been much speculation as to how many unreleased songs there are in his "vault" at his Paisley Park recording studio.
It is believed there are thousands of tracks that have never been heard that could now be released as new Prince albums.
Donatella Versace plays unreleased Prince song at fashion show
