At Versace, Donatella Is Out & Miu Miu Is In
Donatella Versace, heir to the house of Versace, is stepping down as the fashion label's designer. In her place enters Dario Vitale, a "design and image director" from Miu Miu. In simple terms, as of 2025, Dario Vitale is the creative director of Versace.
In a statement, Versace and parent company Capri Holdings confirmed that Donatella Versace will swap roles from chief creative officer to chief brand ambassador on April 1.
There, she will "dedicate herself to the support of Versace’s philanthropic and charitable endeavours and will remain an advocate for the brand globally," according to Capri.
“I am thrilled that Dario Vitale will be joining us, and excited to see Versace through new eyes," Versace herself said. "I want to thank my incredible design team and all the employees at Versace that I have had the privilege of working with for over three decades. It has been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy. He was the true genius, but I hope I have some of his spirit and tenacity.”
Vitale joins Versace at an especially interesting time.
Much hubbub has been made around Prada's potential Versace acquisition, which remains unconfirmed.
But, if it went down, the move would represent a dramatic sea change for the 50-year-old luxury label, which was acquired by Capri on 2018 for over $2.1 billion, possibly redirecting Versace's entire purview.
Vitale's introduction to Versace could represent an even greater change, though, as it's the first time that a non-Versace family member has held the role of creative director at the house.
Donatella Versace took over for her brother and house founder Gianni following his murder in 1997, and has since singularly defined the Versace codes: Sexy, loud, fun, unabashed.
The brand's never not been relevant — a Versace dress worn by Jennifer Lopez was so viral in 2000 that it single-handedly inspired the creation of Google Images — but Versace's fortunes have waxed and waned.
Giant sneakers designed by then-footwear overseer Salehe Bembury dominated a post-Balenciaga Triple S, pre-pandemic sneaker market and former Versus Versace designer Anthony Vaccarello departed for Saint Laurent in 2016.
But while Vaccarello's Saint Laurent remains dominant and Miu Miu, Vitale's former employer, has become the biggest name in fashion, Versace's visibility has recently slipped.
The Miu Miu and Versace oeuvres couldn't be more disparate. While Versace continues creating all-caps gilded glitz, Miu Miu's specialty is bookish prep. The latter feels much more in line with the mood of the day, with logomania far in the rearview and understated luxury still in dramatic demand.
Still, Donatella Versace remains an icon of the house. It's arguably more synonymous with her than her late brother by now, though Gianni's guiding principles are intact.
It's for the best that she remains an icon of Versace, even as it enters a brave new minimalist world.
