The Armani Group taps the former Miu Miu and Versace designer to lead Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani accessories.

One year after the death of Giorgio Armani, the Group makes a decision that, until recently, would have seemed difficult to imagine: entrusting part of its creative direction to a figure from outside the family and the Maison’s internal history. It is the first time that a role at the level of the one entrusted to Dario Vitale, the new Creative Director of Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani accessories, has been given to a designer who did not work directly with the founder.
To understand the significance of the decision, it is necessary to go back to 1981, when Emporio Armani was founded. The new line was conceived as a younger, more accessible, and more urban proposition than the main line. The eagle as its symbol, its communication aimed at a broader audience, and its stores all helped build a distinct identity. For more than 40 years, however, Emporio remained under Giorgio Armani’s direct supervision. After his death in September 2025, responsibility for the collections passed to two of his longtime collaborators: his niece Silvana Armani for womenswear and his right-hand man and longtime partner Leo Dell’Orco for menswear. They were the ones who managed the Maison’s stylistic continuity in the year following the founder’s death.
With Dario Vitale, born in 1983 and raised in Southern Italy, Emporio Armani’s creative direction is unified. After studying at the Istituto Marangoni, he worked at Bottega Veneta during the Tomas Maier years. In 2010, he joined Miu Miu, where he remained for 15 years alongside Miuccia Prada. There, he went on to hold the roles of Design Director of ready-to-wear and Brand Image Director, overseeing both the collections and their visual identity.
This experience is crucial to understanding Vitale’s profile. His work at Miu Miu developed during a period of strong growth for the label, which became one of the most closely watched brands in international fashion. His role was not limited to designing clothes, but also included the way the product was placed within the Maison’s system of communication and image.
Vitale left Miu Miu in March 2025. A month later, he was named Chief Creative Officer of Versace, becoming the first designer from outside the family to lead the Maison after Gianni and Donatella Versace. The role lasted only a few months.
The Armani Group speaks of a “dialogue between innovation and identity.” Vitale says he is “honored” by the new appointment and thanks Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco for welcoming him “into their world,” explaining that he wants to work from the foundations already in place.
Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco describe Emporio as a “space of freedom, experimentation, and energy” and ask the new creative director to interpret its spirit “with respect and authenticity.”
The decision allows the Group to introduce a new point of view without changing the structure of the main collection. For Vitale, the task will be to work with a brand with more than 40 years of history and an already defined system, seeking a balance between the elements that have built its identity and a contemporary sensibility.

Dario Vitale. Photography by Jeannette Montgomery Barron.

Dario Vitale Is Emporio Armani's New Creative Director

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Dario Vitale Is Emporio Armani's New Creative Director

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