Italian luxury fashion house Versace has appointed Belgian designer Pieter Mulier as its new Creative Director, ending weeks of industry speculation. Mulier will take the role on July 1, 2026, succeeding Dario Vitale, whose tenure lasted just one runway show before his departure in December.
In a joint statement, Prada Group and Versace described the appointment as the beginning of “a new chapter for the brand.” Mulier will report directly to Versace Executive Chairman Lorenzo Bertelli, following Prada Group’s €1.25 billion acquisition of Versace, first announced in April 2025 and finalized late last year.
Bertelli expressed confidence in the designer’s vision. “When we considered the Versace acquisition, we identified Pieter Mulier as the right person for the brand,” he said, adding that Mulier can unlock Versace’s creative and commercial potential while engaging with its powerful legacy.
Mulier comes to Versace from Alaïa, where he has been Creative Director since 2021. At the Paris-based house, owned by Richemont, Mulier earned acclaim for collections that balanced sculptural precision, modern sensuality, and respect for the brand’s DNA. Under his leadership, Alaïa also saw commercial growth, especially in accessories, an area previously underdeveloped by founder Azzedine Alaïa.
Mulier’s recent runway presentations became highlights of Paris Fashion Week. His most talked-about show, staged inside the Jean Nouvel–designed Cartier Foundation, featured immersive LED floors and mirrored ceilings, creating a striking visual experience that showed his talent for merging fashion, architecture, and emotion. The collection earned critical praise and capped a year when Mulier was named International Designer of the Year at the CFDA Awards in New York.
The designer’s appointment also reunites him with longtime collaborator Raf Simons, now co-creative director of Prada with Miuccia Prada. Mulier spent nearly two decades working with Simons, first at his namesake label and later at Jil Sander, Christian Dior, and Calvin Klein, developing a design language rooted in precision, innovation, and modernity.
Born in Ostend, Belgium, Mulier studied architecture at Brussels’ Institut Saint-Luc before entering fashion through an internship with Simons. His career has spanned Milan, Paris, and New York, shaping some of the most influential collections of the past two decades.
At Versace, Mulier faces one of the biggest challenges of his career: reinvigorating a legendary house founded by Gianni Versace, whose bold prints, vivid colors, and unapologetic sensuality defined fashion in the 1980s and 1990s. After Gianni’s death in 1997, Donatella Versace carried the brand forward and became an icon in her own right. Declining sales eventually led to Versace’s sale to Capri Holdings, which was later acquired by Prada at a lower valuation.
With his reputation for modern sensuality, technical mastery, and respect for heritage, Pieter Mulier is seen as a strategic choice to restore Versace’s creative momentum and global relevance. As he prepares to take the reins, the fashion world will watch closely to see how he reshapes one of Italy’s most storied labels for a new generation.
