Just when we thought the great fashion shakeup was settling down and creative directors were getting comfy in their roles, it has been announced today (January 30) that Pieter Mulier will be leaving Alaïa after five years. He is due to show his last collection for the brand in March, during the AW26 womenswear season. 

“We sincerely thank Pieter for his vision and commitment, writing an important chapter in the ongoing evolution of the Maison,” read a statement from Myriam Serrano, Alaïa’s CEO. “Over the past five years, Pieter and the exceptional team he led have shaped Alaïa’s creative renewal, honouring its heritage and strengthening the Maison’s relevance, confidence, and global recognition.”

Rumours of Mulier’s departure have been swirling since December, when WWD first reported that the Belgian designer is expected to replace Dario Vitale at Versace, after the brand was purchased by the Prada Group last year. “An announcement from Prada Group, which acquired the Italian fashion house last year, is expected as early as next week,” reports WWD. ⁠

Mulier began his tenure at Maison Alaïa in 2021, becoming the first creative director of the house since the death of its founder, Tunisian couturier Azzedine Alaïa, who died in 2017. Before joining the brand, Mulier began his career interning for Raf Simons in 2002. Though he had no formal design experience – having studied architecture at Institut Saint-Luc in Brussels – Mulier quickly rose to Simons’ head designer by 2003. He remained as head of menswear collections at Raf Simons until 2010, and simultaneously worked alongside Simons at Jil Sander where he was also creative director until 2012.

Simons’ eternal right-hand man, Mulier then followed his fellow Belgian to Dior in April 2012, and later to Calvin Klein in August 2016. With Simons as the current co-creative director of Prada, it would make a lot of sense for a Prada Group-owned brand to be Mulier’s next move.