Section: Designers & Brands
The first defining decision after the founder
On September 16, the Armani Group appointed Dario Vitale creative director of Emporio Armani and the Giorgio Armani accessories lines, effective immediately. The move is historic: Reuters and the Associated Press report that Vitale is the first designer from outside the family to receive such broad creative responsibility following Giorgio Armani’s death.
Vitale previously served as design director at Miu Miu and later had a brief tenure as creative director of Versace. He now enters a house whose authority rests on disciplined tailoring, sensitivity to fabric and an enduring idea of quiet luxury. The question is not whether Armani will be rewritten overnight, but how its codes can acquire a contemporary rhythm without losing their precision.
Milan becomes the first test
Emporio Armani’s Spring/Summer 2027 collection will be presented on September 24 during Milan Fashion Week. Vitale’s appointment does not necessarily make it his collection in full; it is better understood as the opening image of a new leadership era.
Original Reuters report · Associated Press confirmation
Updated September 17, 2026.
