MILAN, April 8 (Reuters) - Alessandro Dell'Acqua has quit as designer at Italian fashion house Malo less than a year after taking the role at the firm, which is in special administration trying to avoid bankruptcy.

Dress by Dell'Acqua - www.alessandrodellacqua.com

In a statement, Malo's owner IT Holding said the brand's in-house creative team would design the collections from the spring/summer 2010 season onwards.

Dell'Acqua's first collection for Malo was the spring/summer 2009, shown in Milan in September. He used cashmere and flowing lines to create an informal but smart look.

His predecessors at Malo, Tommaso Aquilano and Roberto Rimondi, moved to Gianfranco Ferre which is also owned by IT Holding.

Dell'Acqua launched his own label in 1996 and has a range of perfumes, spectacles and shoes.

IT Holding is working on managing its debts under government-appointed administrators who have until mid-year to draw up a restructuring plan.

Last month, a source close to the matter said the company could sell Ferre and Malo to focus on its production licences. (Reporting by Jo Winterbottom; editing by Andrew Dobbie)