It’s the end of an era at the House of Medusa—and the start of a new one. On Thursday, Versace announced that Donatella Versace, the pure embodiment of the brand’s va-va-voom glamor, is stepping down as creative director after nearly three decades. Her successor is Dario Vitale, a rising star who was most recently the design director of Miu Miu.

Donatella will remain at the company in an ambassador role. In a statement, she hailed Vitale’s appointment and paid tribute to her brother, Gianni, who founded the brand in 1978. “Championing the next generation of designers has always been important to me,” Donatella said. “I am thrilled that Dario Vitale will be joining us, and excited to see Versace through new eyes. I want to thank my incredible design team and all the employees at Versace that I have had the privilege of working with for over three decades. It has been the greatest honor of my life to carry on my brother Gianni’s legacy. He was the true genius, but I hope I have some of his spirit and tenacity. In my new role as Chief Brand Ambassador, I will remain Versace’s most passionate supporter. Versace is in my DNA and always in my heart.”

Dario Vitale, 41, joins Versace from Miu Miu

Courtesy of Versace

Added Vitale, “I am truly honored to join Versace as the Chief Creative Officer and to be a part of this special and powerful fashion luxury House created by Gianni and Donatella. The House of Versace has a unique heritage that has spanned decades and has shaped the history of fashion. I want to express my sincere thank you to Donatella for her trust in me, and for her tireless dedication to the extraordinary brand that Versace is today. It is a privilege to contribute

to the future growth of Versace and its global impact through my vision, expertise and dedication.”

Donatella Versace was Gianni’s understudy and muse, and stepped up to lead following her brother’s shocking murder in 1997. “I never thought of leaving the company,” she told GQ in 2018 of the dark time following Gianni’s death. “I had to stay. Gianni trained me—the last two years of his life especially—Gianni trained me to do everything.”