The Armani Group has appointed Dario Vitale as Creative Director of Emporio Armani and Creative Director of Accessories at Giorgio Armani, bringing a designer with experience at some of Italy’s most influential fashion houses into a new chapter for the group.
The appointment is significant for another reason: Vitale is the first person outside the Armani family to take on the creative director role at Emporio Armani.
Born in 1983 and raised in southern Italy, Vitale moved to Milan, where he studied at Istituto Marangoni before beginning a career that included Bottega Veneta under Tomas Maier.
He joined Miu Miu in 2010, working closely with Miuccia Prada and rising to become Design Director of Ready-to-Wear and Brand Image Director. He left the house in March 2025, before being appointed Chief Creative Officer at Versace the following month — again becoming the first designer outside the Versace family to lead the house’s creative direction.
Now, Vitale assumes a dual role within Armani. At Emporio Armani, he will oversee creative direction, while at Giorgio Armani he will lead accessories, working closely with Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco.
Evolution, Not Disruption
The Armani Group has positioned the appointment as an evolution of its creative structure while maintaining the design language associated with the Armani name.
That balance will be particularly relevant to Emporio Armani, which Silvana Armani and Leo Dell’Orco describe as a brand born from “freedom, experimentation and energy”. They said Vitale’s international experience will allow him to interpret that spirit with respect and authenticity.
For Vitale, the role represents an opportunity to work within a fashion legacy that has shaped the industry for decades.
“I am honored to take on this dual role across Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani,” he said, adding that the house has a “powerful legacy and unmistakable design language”.
He also acknowledged the responsibility of building on that heritage while helping to define what he describes as “a new era”.
Vitale joins the Armani Group with immediate effect, bringing experience from Miu Miu and Versace to a house whose next chapter is being framed around continuity, evolution and the preservation of its distinctive identity.
