Dario Vitale Leaves Versace Following Prada Group Acquisition

After less than a year and just one collection, Dario Vitale is stepping down as chief creative officer of Versace. The news was confirmed on Thursday. He will officially leave the house on December 12.

“We would like to sincerely thank Dario for his outstanding contribution to the development of the brand’s creative strategy during this transition period, and we wish him all the very best in his future endeavors,” the brand said in a statement.

Vitale joined Versace in March after Donatella Versace stepped down from the house’s top creative role. As Donatella took over following her brother Gianni Versace’s untimely death in 1997, Vitale was the first person outside the Versace family to lead the brand’s creative endeavors. Donatella now serves as the House’s chief brand ambassador.

The 42-year-old presented his first—and seemingly last—collection for Versace in Milan in September as part of the spring 2026 season. It was a large departure from Donatella’s usual sexually charged, glam aesthetic, but received mostly positive reviews (though Donatella herself notably did not attend the show). Julia Roberts (followed shortly thereafter by Amanda Seyfried) was the first to wear the collection following its debut, and the designs have since proven to hit a nerve in the music industry, with Addison Rae and Olivia Dean both wearing pieces from the collection.

The news of Vitale’s exit comes just two days after the Prada Group’s acquisition of Versace for $1.25 billion, a deal that has been in the works for quite some time. It is thought that the Prada Group’s purchase may ultimately be what lead to Vitale’s departure. Prior to joining Versace, he was ready-to-wear design director at Miu Miu, which is also owned by the company. He likely wasn’t expecting to reunite with the Prada Group so soon.

As of now, we do not know who will take the Versace reins in the wake of Vitale’s exit, nor where Vitale will go next. What we do know is the ongoing game of designer musical chairs—which seemed to be wrapping up—continues without abandon.