Donatella Versace Steps Down as Creative Director

Donatella Versace is strutting into a new role.

The 69-year-old announced she is stepping down as Versace’s Creative Director, a role she’s inhabited since 1997 after her brother Gianni Versace was tragically murdered.

“Championing the next generation of designers has always been important to me,” she wrote in a statement shared to the brand’s Instagram page March 13. “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.”

She added, “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.”

Donatella will now act as Versace’s Chief Brand Ambassador, adding she will always be the brand’s “most passionate supporter.”

After all, as she noted, “Versace is in my DNA and always in my heart.”