Kering has tapped the former Valentino creative to succeed Demna and write Balenciaga’s next chapter.
On Monday evening in Paris, Kering confirmed that Pierpaolo Piccioli will become Balenciaga’s creative director on 10 July, with his first collection set for Paris Fashion Week in October.
He succeeds Demna, the Georgian designer who turned the house into a marker of hefty sneakers, drop-shoulder hoodies and gritty cool over a defining decade before moving to Gucci in March.
Piccioli arrives with a different pedigree. During 25 years at Valentino—first alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri and then solo—he built a reputation on colour-rich couture and an inclusive vision that broadened the Roman label’s audience. Earlier, he spent a decade at Fendi.
Balenciaga today spans raw concrete boutiques, a business split almost evenly between womenswear and menswear, and a catalogue that ranges from slogan knits and distressed denim to revived couture and status handbags such as Le Cagole, Rodeo and Bel Air. Piccioli now inherits that mix of hype and heritage.
“An accomplished and respected designer, and master of haute couture, Pierpaolo Piccioli will bring his unique creative vision and extensive experience to Balenciaga, building on the strengths and success achieved by the brand over the past decade under Demna’s creative direction, and in continuity with the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga and of the historic Parisian house,” Kering said.
Kering deputy chief executive Francesca Bellettini called Piccioli “one of the most talented and celebrated designers of today. His mastery of haute couture, his creative voice, and his passion for savoir-faire made him the ideal choice for the house.”
Piccioli will report to chief executive Gianfranco Gianangeli. In a letter released with the news, the designer thanked his predecessors, “especially Demna, who paid homage to Cristóbal in his own way, sharing his point of view while maintaining the house’s core identity alive. This gives me the chance to shape a new version of the maison, adding another chapter with a new story,” he wrote.
Whether his team will stage a full runway show in October has yet to be confirmed, but the pairing of Piccioli’s couture-led eye with Balenciaga’s street-sharpened audience promises one of the season’s most watched changes in Paris.
