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| Aldona Doku working with her laptop, source: Facebook |
Aldona Doku grew up in Athens but later returned to Tirana to pursue her higher education at the Bachelor's and Master's levels in the Faculty of Economics. She began her career at Deloitte Albania & Kosovo in Tirana as a financial statement auditor for Italian companies. This period was very challenging for Aldona until she transferred in 2018 to continue her professional journey at a competing firm, PwC Italy (PriceWaterHouseCoopers) in Milan.
There, she engaged in statutory audits of some of Italy's largest companies, such as Luxottica, one of the world's leading companies in the design, production, and distribution of eyewear, Pirelli, a leader in the tire manufacturing industry, and Cameron and Schlumberger Italy, which are among the top companies in valve production in the oil and gas industry. After nearly three years of professional audit experience in Milan, Aldona Doku received an offer to work at the prestigious company Gianni Versace Srl, one of the most significant fashion houses in the fashion industry with annual revenue of approximately 1 billion and a net profit of over 51 million per year.
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| On the left: Aldona Doku and Donatella Versace |
In an exclusive interview for Probizz.al, Aldona Doku shares details from her daily work alongside Donatella Versace.
What does it mean to work for Gianni Versace's company?
What do you specifically do there?
In the company, I am responsible for budgeting and preparing consolidated financial statements for monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting to the parent companies based in New York, Capri Holding Limited. As is known, Versace is no longer an Italian company since it was acquired by the giant Capri Holding Limited for around 2.2 billion dollars in 2019, which in its portfolio owns brands like Versace, Jimmy Choo, and Michael Kors. Recently, Capri Holding was acquired by Tapestry, a prestigious American brand, for approximately 8.5 billion dollars.
What qualities does one need to be selected as an employee at this prestigious company?
Working for Versace means not just being another number in the company but conveying a sense of belonging to a world you want to be a part of. It's like one big family where each individual is seen and treated as an added value. In Milan, I was fortunate to work with the right people, highly competent in what they do, who have always shown great confidence in my work. Trust is the key to opening doors; it's the strength that motivates an individual to give their best, both professionally and personally, as in large companies like PwC Milan or Gianni Versace Srl, professional, social, and soft skills are just as important as technical or professional aspects in achieving success.
What lessons have you learned from your work with Donatella Versace?
Initially, it wasn't easy because managing a giant group like Versace requires skills and preparation that I didn't think I had until, after the first two or three months, I became one of the key points of financial reporting and communication, both with Versace Group companies (about 25 companies located worldwide) and with the Capri Holding Ltd. Sometimes, we don't realize our potential until we take the first step out of our comfort zone. Working with Donatella is beautiful, although not very easy, as she is very demanding and perfectionist. After the sale of the company to Capri Holding Limited, even though she lost full control of Versace, she still holds the role of Creative Artistic Director. I can confidently say that Donatella is the key to the success that Versace has achieved, partly due to the relationships she has with celebrities from all over the world. Here, it's worth mentioning the close relationships she has with Madonna, Elton John, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, or Vogue's Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour. Donatella is a 68-year-old woman who is designed for the future and has an inexhaustible energy to live life to the fullest.
Where does Versace make a difference in clothing compared to its rivals?
At Versace, great attention is paid to the perfection of materials and their unusual combinations. Meanwhile, Versace collections have always been more revolutionary: in 1981, they introduced futuristic dresses with metal mesh, and at the end of the 1980s, they presented a look in the style of slavery, a collection called Miss S&M (bondage style), which made headlines in the media.
Among celebrities who have worn Gianni's designs, we can mention Elton John, Princess Diana, Michael Jackson, Cher, Carla Bruni, Britney Spears, who wore the wedding dress designed and made by Donatella, or Jennifer Lawrence, who wore a VersacePreFall18 velvet dress with golden medusa buttons and a high slit on the neckline part at the "Red Sparrow" film presentation in London, a dress that is now in my wardrobe. The dress in question is not just clothing but a work of art crafted down to the smallest details with great delicacy by our Atelier staff. It is a unique piece, as everything produced in the Atelier is a unique piece, making you feel special for having this work of art in your wardrobe. Lastly, we cannot forget the collaboration with Dua Lipa for the "La Vacanza" collection, a runway show held in Cannes, France, where the Albanian star became Versace's brand ambassador worldwide. In fewer words, Versace is courage, personality, and style.