CWith Dario Vitale’s release now archived, Il Prada Group And Versace announce the appointment of Pieter Mulier in the role of Chief Creative Officer, starting from 1 July 2026. A choice that marks the beginning of a new phase for the Medusa fashion house.
The management seems to want to focus more on continuity rather than a break with the past. And so, after the brief, chatty casual/revolutionary parenthesis completed under the former Miu Miu, the brand decides to rely on a designer who has always made powerful and sensual femininity a style statement, just like the founder Gianni Versace. Vitale’s exit, which occurred on 12 December, closed the phase immediately preceding the definitive transfer of ownership from Capri Holdings to the Prada group, a process that began in April 2025 and concluded recently.
Who is Pieter Mulier, new creative director of Versace
Designer of Belgian origin, with a background halfway between architecture and fashion, Pieter Mulier is a key figure in contemporary fashion. His career was built far from the spotlight: after studying at the Institut Supérieur d’Architecture Saint-Luc in Brussels, enter the universe of Raf Simonsbecoming one of his closest collaborators. Work with him on Jil Sander, Christian Dior and Calvin Kleinwhere she takes on a central role in managing the men’s and women’s creative teams.
In 2021 it arrives at Azzedine Alaïacreating collections that give the brand a clear and recognizable direction, made up of sculptural volumes and architectural constructions, always putting the woman’s body at the centre. Under his guidance, Alaïa returns to the center of the fashion scene, also attracting new generations: just think of the success of the It Bag The Teckel.
“As we considered the acquisition of Versace, we identified Pieter Mulier as the right person for the role of designer of the brand. We are confident that he will be able to fully express Versace’s potential and establish a profound dialogue with the history and distinctive aesthetics of the brand; we are excited to embark on this journey together”, he said Lorenzo Bertelli.
Pieter Mulier and Raf Simons (again)
Mulier’s appointment responds to the line traced by Lorenzo Bertelli, executive president of Versace: strengthening the brand’s identity without tears, bringing it back towards a language more consistent with Gianni’s legacy. An orientation also shared with Donatella Versace and her daughter Allegra, involved in the discussion on the future of the fashion house. Not surprisingly, the brand is absent from the Milan men’s fashion week calendar and does not plan a women’s fashion show in February. Choices that seem to accompany a phase of creative realignment.
Mulier’s profile fits naturally into the group’s new structure. The designer is historically close to Raf Simons, now co-creative director of Prada, with whom he shared some of the most influential fashion seasons of the last twenty years. A bond that strengthens the coherence of the decision taken at the top of the Prada group.
Azzedine Alaïa and Gianni Versace
The ideal dialogue between Azzedine Alaïa and Gianni Versace is not only historical. Both have built a vision of powerful and sensual femininity, based on the body and the construction of the dress. A common ground that Mulier has shown he knows how to inhabit with rigor and measure. Last November Naomi Campbell, muse of both, presented him with the International Designer of the Year award 2025symbolically sealing this continuity.
Under Mulier’s leadership, Alaïa has been identified by the Richemont ownership group as one of the fastest growing brandswith double-digit performance. A result that makes the appointment of Pieter Mulier to Versace not only symbolic, but strategic. What will happen… again?
