The Armani group announced in a note in the last few hours the appointment of Dario Vitale, 43 years old, as creative director of Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani accessories. He is the first to hold this role outside the Armani family. It is also the first ‘important’ appointment after the death of the founder, Giorgio.
The experiences in Prada and Bottega Veneta
Raised in Southern Italy, Dario trained at the Istituto Marangoni in Milan, the city where he lives and works. After his first experiences in luxury including Bottega Veneta under Tomas Maier, in 2010 he joined Miu Miu, alongside Miuccia Prada as Design director of Ready-to-wear and Brand image director until March 2025.
In April of the same year he was appointed Chief creative officer of Versace – the first designer outside the Versace family to lead the maison – and then took on the important managerial role at Armani in September 2026.
Over the course of his career, the Armani group underlines, Vitale has gained “significant experience in the fashion sector, working with leading companies and developing a sensitivity attentive to product, quality, coherence and contemporaneity”.
“A new chapter between innovation and identity”
Vitale will enter via Borgonuovo with immediate effect. His entry marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the brand and opens “a dialogue between innovation and identity, consolidating the creative structure of the group and accompanying its evolution, respecting the aesthetic vision that has always distinguished the name Giorgio Armani”.
“I am honored to take on this dual role between Emporio Armani and Giorgio Armani and deeply grateful to Silvana and Leo for welcoming me into their world. Armani boasts an extraordinary heritage and an unmistakable stylistic language: a heritage that spans decades and has contributed to writing the history of fashion. I approach this new challenge with a deep sense of responsibility and enthusiasm, with the aim of building on these solid foundations and defining a new era together”, are the first words of Vital.
“Emporio Armani as a space of freedom”
“For us, Emporio Armani is much more than a line: it is a reality to which we are deeply linked, because we have followed and shared its path from the beginning. Emporio was born as a space of freedom, experimentation and energy, and we are convinced that the arrival of Darioa talent already established on the international scene, will be able to interpret its spirit with respect and authenticity”, add Silvana Armani, head of women’s style, and Leo Dell’Orco, head of men’s style at Armani.
“The appointment of Dario Vitale it is a choice that strengthens our creative organization and confirms the desire to look to the future, consolidating the group’s evolution path, remaining faithful to the values and vision of Giorgio Armani. Emporio Armani is a brand of strategic importance for us and for our partners around the world. We look at this new phase with enormous confidence”, adds Giuseppe Marsocci, CEO and managing director of the Milanese company.
How is the Armani business going?
Vitale enters a ‘stormy’ period for the world of luxury, where, however, Armani is still sailing well. Last year, the fashion house founded by the designer from Piacenza closed with 2.192 billion euros in direct revenues (a value that rises to around 4 billion euros including the turnover induced by licensing). The sales trend in the first half of 2026 recorded a general decline in the wake of the 2025 trend, in the face, however, of strong growth in net profitability (more than doubled to approximately 67 million), supported by the effectiveness of the licenses and careful management of operating costs.