Italian fashion house Versace named Pieter Mulier, the former designer of the niche but hip label Alaia, to be its chief creative officer as the flashy brand seeks a new direction after being bought by Prada last year.
Mulier will start his new role on July 1 and will report to Prada family scion Lorenzo Bertelli, the executive chairman of the brand, Versace said in a statement Thursday (Feb 5).
By picking Mulier, Versace is betting on a designer who managed to revive the appeal of Alaia, a small brand inside the fashion portfolio of Switzerland’s Richemont.
He follows designer Dario Vitale, who held the creative role for most of last year after Donatella Versace stepped down. Vitale left Versace in December.
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The appointment comes amid a demand downturn for high-end goods across the world. Shares of Prada have fallen by more than a third in Hong Kong in the past year despite the Italian group’s smaller Miu Miu label proving popular with Gen Z shoppers.
Prada bought Versace from US fashion group Capri Holdings for US$1.38bil (approximately RM5.45bil) last year.
Under Mulier, Alaia put out hit products, notably its fishnet ballet flats and dachshund-shaped handbag known as Le Teckel, which – in a small size – sells from €1,950 (RM9,087).
Mulier’s creations at Alaia have featured billowing trousers, sculptured dresses as well as white and pale pink puffy coats, designs that received rave reviews from industry insiders.
With the move, Mulier will join a fashion house known for its bold, golden patterns, barocco printed dresses and shirts adorned with the famous Medusa head.
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After studying design and architecture at the Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels, Mulier worked with Raf Simons in Antwerp in the early 2000s before following the designer to Jil Sander.
In 2012, he moved to Christian Dior as design director. Four years later, Calvin Klein tapped Mulier to work alongside Simons who held the top creative role.
Azzedine Alaia, the founder of the eponymous label, died in 2017 and Mulier joined the brand in 2021. Simons is the co-creative director at Prada’s eponymous brand along with Miuccia Prada. – Bloomberg
