Versace Didn’t Look Far for Its Next Designer

For the first time in Versace’s 48-year history, its creative vision has been placed in the hands of someone born outside of Italy. Today, Pieter Mulier, a Belgian fashion designer who for the past five years has been the creative director of Alaïa, was named chief creative officer at Versace.

In a news release, Versace’s executive chairman Lorenzo Bertelli wrote that he believed Mr. Mulier “can truly unlock Versace’s full potential.” He will assume the job on July 1.

It doesn’t require a red-string conspiracy theorist to visualize how the appointment came to be. In early December, Prada Group closed on its deal to acquire Versace for $1.4 billion. Days later, Dario Vitale, an Italian designer who had assumed Versace’s creative direction from Donatella Versace just eight months earlier, was abruptly forced out.

Immediately, Mr. Mulier’s name began to swirl as Mr. Vitale’s successor. Those rumors grew louder when it was announced in late January that Mr. Mulier would be stepping down from Alaïa. His final collection for the house will be presented in March.

“Over the past five years, Pieter and the exceptional team he led have shaped Alaïa’s creative renewal,” Alaïa’s chief executive, Myriam Serrano, wrote in a release, which did not name a successor for Mr. Mulier.

When you factor in friendships, he is an obvious choice for Versace: Mr. Mulier, 49, spent much of his career until his time at Alaïa working alongside Raf Simons, a fellow Belgian designer who since 2020 has been co-creative director of Prada.