Gianni Versace's creations brought together for Berlin show

Gold snake jeans, bondage dresses, silk jodhpurs: More than 100 outfits created by Gianni Versace are going on show in Berlin, some 20 years after the designer's death.

Organizers of the "Gianni Versace Retrospective" opening Tuesday at the German capital's Kronprinzenpalais put together the show with contributions from private collectors around the world.

Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Versace's sexy and daring clothes in the 1980s and 1990s made him a favorite among rockers, Hollywood stars and other celebrities. The wide-ranging exhibit covers both women's and menswear, and includes pieces such as a tailcoat ensemble made for Sting's wedding in 1992 and many others worn by everyone from Madonna and Prince to Naomi Campbell.

He was gunned down outside his Miami Beach, Florida, mansion on July 15, 1997, by Andrew Cunanan, who killed himself a few days later.

Co-curator Karl von der Ahe said the new show stemmed from a chance meeting with a major Versace collector, which generated a desire to "show the breadth of the work."

Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

"Such an overview of his work is something special," he said.

The exhibition developed as it went along, fellow curator Saskia Lubnow said. Organizers started out with a "we'll take what we get" approach, but increasingly "thought about what Gianni was, how Gianni thought, what did he want to say" and went looking for specific pieces.

The exhibition is arranged by theme, rather than chronologically — starting, for example, with a room of creations in black and gold.

Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Versace had his first exhibition in Berlin in 1994 and, organizers say, had planned to come back to the city — not one of the top traditional fashion centers.

"You might say that Paris would be easier, or Milan, because people there have a greater affinity for this kind of thing and understand fashion more as part of their world," von der Ahe said. But "it is a city that can use something like this ... perhaps it will push another view of Berlin's development as a city of fashion."

The exhibition runs until April 13.

Creations of Italian designer Gianni Versace are displayed at an exhibition to honor him more than 20 years after his death in 1997, at the Kronprinzenpalais in Berlin, Germany, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz met on Monday in western Gujarat state to push for deeper economic and security ties between the South Asian nation and Europe’s largest economy.

Modi and Merz held talks in the city of Gandhinagar, where the two countries signed various agreements to enhance cooperation in the defense sector, skill development, health and education, as both nations seek to reduce dependence on China and bolster economic ties.

After the bilateral talks, Modi noted that Germany is India’s most important trading partner in the European Union and said both leaders were seeking to expand those ties.

He said the two countries are pursuing new projects in areas such as climate action, energy and mining of rare earth elements, and have also agreed on a road map to boost cooperation between their defense industries for joint development and production.

“We want to elevate the relations between India and Germany to an even higher level,” Modi said.

Germany has not traditionally had close defense ties with India, but the two sides have been trying to boost cooperation in the sector. Germany’s Thyssenkrupp is expected to partner with Indian firms to build six advanced conventional submarines in India, part of New Delhi’s ongoing efforts to modernize its naval capabilities.

Merz said India and Germany share “tremendous economic potential,” and the two countries are working together to strengthen ties in the field of security policy and defense cooperation.

“India is a desired partner, a partner of choice for Germany,” Merz said, according to a live official translation. He added that negotiations on a free trade agreement between India and the EU need to be concluded to fully realize the potential of economic ties between the two countries.

The two sides also signed an agreement that makes it easier for Indians to work in Germany's health care sector.

Merz’s visit to India — also his first to an Asian country since he took office last year — comes ahead of a planned India-EU summit later this month, where leaders hope to make progress on a long-pending free trade agreement. India hopes to deepen economic engagement with Europe in the face of U.S. tariff rates of 50%.

During his visit, Merz toured the Sabarmati Ashram, once home to independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, and attended the International Kite Festival at the Sabarmati riverfront. Modi and Merz flew kites during the event.

Merz, who is accompanied by a large business delegation, is later scheduled to travel to southern Bengaluru city to meet Indian and German business and technology leaders.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi fly a kite during the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ride together in a vehicle during the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as they arrive for the inauguration of the International Kite Festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, left, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi prepare to fly a kiteduring the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz fly kites during the inauguration of International kite festival in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki)