Luxury house Alaïa has confirmed that designer Pieter Mulier is leaving his role as creative director, bringing to a close a five-year chapter that reshaped the house’s position in contemporary fashion. The confirmation follows weeks of speculation and and formalizes his departure.
FASHION
Mulier was appointed in 2021, becoming the first designer to lead Alaïa since the passing of its founder. His appointment reflected a strategic decision to continue developing the house from within its established codes. Rather than restructuring the brand, Mulier focused on refining its existing language, keeping the body central while adjusting proportion, movement, and scale for current collections. During this period, Alaïa strengthened its presence across ready-to-wear, accessories, and international retail.
We sincerely thank Pieter for his vision and commitment, writing an important chapter in the ongoing evolution of the Maison. Over the past five years, Pieter and the exceptional team he led have shaped Alaïa’s creative renewal, honoring its heritage while strengthening its relevance, confidence, and global recognition. – Alaïa CEO Myriam Serrano
The designer’s background played a key role in this approach. Before joining Alaïa, Mulier spent more than a decade working closely with Raf Simons, developing a reputation for technical rigor and construction. That experience translated naturally at Alaïa, where control and discipline already formed part of the house language. His work consistently demonstrated a sensitivity to the archive while keeping the collections forward-looking.
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The confirmation of Mulier’s departure arrives amid ongoing changes within luxury fashion leadership. Creative director roles continue to shift across major houses, often linked to ownership transitions and internal restructuring. Richemont owned Alaïa has not yet named a successor.
Recent reporting has linked Pieter Mulier to Versace following changes in the house’s creative leadership and a period of reassessment under the Prada Group. The position became vacant after Dario Vitale departed less than nine months after his appointment in 2025, a brief tenure that intensified scrutiny around Versace’s next creative direction. Multiple outlets have since cited Mulier among the designers under consideration, though neither Versace nor the Prada Group has issued a formal announcement. While Alaïa has confirmed Mulier’s exit, his next appointment remains unconfirmed at the time of writing.
