Pieter Mulier Anticipated to Head Versace Within Prada Group

The action ensues the abrupt departure of Dario Vitale, who left the residence on December 12 after merely eight months.

Sean Zanni/ Patrick Mcmullan/ Getty Images

The fashion industry is preparing for a significant transformation as sources suggest that Pieter Mulier, the present creative leader of Alaïa, is the leading candidate to assume the role of Creative Director at Versace. The prospective nomination follows the Prada Group's significant €1.25 billion acquisition of the house from Capri Holdings, a transaction that reinstated the Medusa business under Italian ownership earlier this month.

WWD stated that sources indicate Mulier may succeed Dario Vitale, whose sudden exit on December 12 — following a single critically lauded season – startled the industry. Insiders indicate that Prada's leadership, led by Executive Chairman Lorenzo Bertelli, is in search of a visionary capable of transcending "niche" aesthetics to rapidly expand Versace's global commercial presence. Mulier, a longstanding associate of Raf Simons, is regarded as the quintessential candidate to reconcile high-concept design with mass-market luxury, a feat he adeptly accomplished by doubling Alaïa's size since 2021.

The transfer signifies a "strategic homecoming" for Mulier, whose profound connections to Simons (now Co-Creative Director at Prada) match seamlessly with the Prada Group's architectural concept for its new asset. Negotiations with Alaïa’s parent firm, Richemont, are apparently in progress, with the industry anticipating an official announcement in early 2026. As Versace opts to forgo its customary January runway presentation, attention is focused on Mulier to determine how he will revitalise the brand's legendary "rock 'n' roll" legacy for a new era of supremacy.