Prada's $1.4bn Acquisition of Versace Leaves Creative Director Dario Vitale on the Chopping Block
In a surprise move, Versace has announced that its creative director, Dario Vitale, is leaving the company just over nine months into his tenure. The decision comes less than two days after Prada completed its $1.4bn purchase of Versace from US fashion group Capri Holdings.
Vitale's departure marks a significant shift for the Italian luxury brand, which has been looking to revamp its creative direction since Donatella Versace stepped down as chief creative officer in March. Vitale took over as creative director in March, marking the first time a non-Versace family member held the position.
Sources close to the matter suggest that Prada's leadership was not convinced that Vitale was the right fit for the role, with some speculating that his background working behind the scenes may have been an obstacle in adapting to the highly visible creative directorship. The decision has sparked debate among industry insiders, who had expected Vitale to bring a fresh perspective to the brand.
Miu Miu, where Vitale spent the past year as design head, is reportedly "an unwelcome hiccup" for Prada's leadership, given its own success under his tenure. However, Versace's struggles have raised questions about the ability of Prada's new ownership to navigate the complexities of luxury fashion.
With Vitale's departure, Prada has announced that it will announce a replacement in due course. Meanwhile, the creative team will report to chief executive Emmanuel Gintzburger. Potential candidates for the role include Olivier Rousteing and Kim Jones, both of whom have experience working on high-profile collaborations with Versace.
The acquisition of Versace is part of Prada's efforts to become a luxury fashion powerhouse rivaling existing conglomerates like LVMH and Kering. However, with Vitale's departure, it remains to be seen how the brand will continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of luxury fashion.
In a surprise move, Versace has announced that its creative director, Dario Vitale, is leaving the company just over nine months into his tenure. The decision comes less than two days after Prada completed its $1.4bn purchase of Versace from US fashion group Capri Holdings.
Vitale's departure marks a significant shift for the Italian luxury brand, which has been looking to revamp its creative direction since Donatella Versace stepped down as chief creative officer in March. Vitale took over as creative director in March, marking the first time a non-Versace family member held the position.
Sources close to the matter suggest that Prada's leadership was not convinced that Vitale was the right fit for the role, with some speculating that his background working behind the scenes may have been an obstacle in adapting to the highly visible creative directorship. The decision has sparked debate among industry insiders, who had expected Vitale to bring a fresh perspective to the brand.
Miu Miu, where Vitale spent the past year as design head, is reportedly "an unwelcome hiccup" for Prada's leadership, given its own success under his tenure. However, Versace's struggles have raised questions about the ability of Prada's new ownership to navigate the complexities of luxury fashion.
With Vitale's departure, Prada has announced that it will announce a replacement in due course. Meanwhile, the creative team will report to chief executive Emmanuel Gintzburger. Potential candidates for the role include Olivier Rousteing and Kim Jones, both of whom have experience working on high-profile collaborations with Versace.
The acquisition of Versace is part of Prada's efforts to become a luxury fashion powerhouse rivaling existing conglomerates like LVMH and Kering. However, with Vitale's departure, it remains to be seen how the brand will continue to navigate the ever-changing landscape of luxury fashion.
. he seemed like a fresh perspective for the brand and now prada's got some big shoes to fill 
. dont get me wrong, prada's got some amazing designs and all but vitale's departure makes me think they're gonna lose that certain je ne sais quoi 
. what do u think? should prada bring in someone from outside or keep it internal like they did with Vitale? 
I'm telling you, this whole thing is shady... Prada just buys Versace for 1.4 billion bucks and then they're like "oh, our new creative director isn't working out"? That's like saying "we bought a car and the driver didn't know how to drive it"... weird, right? I mean, what's the real motive here? Are they trying to get rid of someone who might be speaking truth to power about their plans for Versace? Or maybe there's something fishy going on with Miu Miu... that "hiccup" comment has me thinking... 
Interesting how Prada just threw Dario Vitale under the bus like that. I mean, $1.4bn is a pretty big price tag, but if they're not convinced he's the right fit, maybe they should've held out for someone better 
he was only in the job 9 months so like what did he even do wrong? 
, but it doesn't make sense for them to be getting rid of him already... maybe its about the miu miu thing 
but honestly i think prada's just gonna mess this up now that they've got versace under their belt...
this is exactly what I'm talking about - corporate takeovers, they're like a new breed of politician - in, out, and gone before you can say "Luxury Fashion". What's going on with Prada, Versace, and Dario Vitale? One day he's the creative director, next day he's out the door. It's all about the benjamins, baby 
. I'm all about seeing how this plays out now...
. I mean, can't you even give someone a decent run-time without messing with their head? 
Only time will tell, I guess 
. Don't get me wrong, I love Miu Miu and think Vitale did some great work there, but Versace's struggles are a bit too big to tackle alone 
. Maybe Prada just needed someone with more experience and visibility to take the reins? It'll be interesting to see who they choose next... Olivier Rousteing or Kim Jones would be my bets 
. And honestly, I kinda think it's going to be hard for the brand to find someone who can match the magic of Donatella Versace... or maybe not? 
I mean, on one hand, Prada needs someone with some serious experience and credibility under their belt, but on the other hand, Vitale did have some good moments at Miu Miu... 
but what about the fresh perspective he was supposed to bring? 
Miu Miu was doing great under him and now it's all being taken away 
prada buying versace for 1.4 billion and now they're already getting rid of vitale like what even is that? i mean i get it, he's not a versace family member and all but 9 months in isn't exactly a trial period lol. and now the whole team is just gonna report to gintzburger because one person got axed 
. Prada thought they were getting a fresh perspective from Dario Vitale, but it looks like his behind-the-scenes skills just aren't enough for a high-profile gig like Versace. I mean, come on, you'd think that's something you could sell to potential clients 
.
Olivier Rousteing or Kim Jones would be a great pick, but only time will tell if they can bring that Versace magic back 