UPDATE: Pieter Mulier has been confirmed to lead Versace in its next chapter, according to a joint statement released earlier today by Versace and its new parent company, the Prada Group. Mulier’s appointment will begin later this year, with a runway debut expected as early as September.
Mulier is tasked with revitalizing the Italian luxury label, whose lackluster sales and mediocre performance have fallen short of its cultural relevance and earning potential. Following its recent acquisition by the Prada Group, Versace will undergo a major revamp, with Mulier at the helm.
Versace’s executive chairman, Lorenzo Bertelli, acknowledged the long journey ahead, noting that Mulier had been identified as the right person for the role even before the acquisition was finalized, BoF reported.
When Azzedine Alaïa passed away suddenly from a heart attack in 2017, the fashion world mourned the loss of one of the most boundary-breaking couturiers. He was 82, and unlike other fashion greats who enjoyed a life of retirement in their later years, Alaïa worked until the day he died.
In the years that followed, his loyal design studio carried out the brand’s vision. While Alaïa may have passed, the brand did not. Then, in 2021, after three years without a designer at its helm, the Richemont-owned maison appointed its first creative director following the death of its founder.
Belgian designer Pieter Mulier, who previously worked as Raf Simons’ right-hand man at Dior, Jil Sander, and Calvin Klein, showed his first ready-to-wear collection for Alaïa in Spring 2022. Mulier’s Alaïa, known for its fluidity and sculptural appeal, attracted a slew of celebrity fans, and its commercial success was even greater.
Pieter Mulier’s Vision for Alaïa
The designer knocked it out of the park with viral hits like his mesh ballerinas, his heart-shaped Le Cœur bag, and, of course, the cult-favorite Le Teckel, which started an east-west revolution. Mulier went on to win the CFDA’s prize for International Designer of the Year this past December.
Mulier, who is rumored to be departing for Versace following Dario Vitale’s departure late last year, will take his final bow for Alaïa in March at Paris Fashion Week.
A successor has yet to be named.
