In a daring and transformative transfer poised to reshape the way forward for luxurious trend, Pierpaolo Piccioli has formally been appointed inventive director of Balenciaga, efficient July 10, 2025. This landmark announcement alerts not only a new chapter for the storied French trend home but additionally a strong evolution in Piccioli’s already illustrious profession—one rooted in poetic design, couture excellence, and a profound reverence for heritage.
Following a celebrated tenure at Valentino—first as co-creative director and later as the only real visionary—Piccioli stepped down in 2024, having reinvigorated the model along with his romantic sensibility and inclusive beliefs. Now, as he takes the reins at Balenciaga, expectations are excessive for a considerate, human-centered recalibration of the model’s aesthetic. His appointment introduces a placing counterpoint to the edgy, meme-fueled period formed by Demna, who lately exited to take up the inventive helm at Gucci.
Kering and Balenciaga are happy to announce the appointment of Pierpaolo Piccioli as the brand new Inventive Director of Balenciaga, efficient July 10, 2025. pic.twitter.com/vn1RjacrJB
— Kering (@KeringGroup) Might 19, 2025
In a press release that underscored his reverence for continuity and legacy, Piccioli mirrored on Balenciaga’s storied previous with attribute humility and style. “Balenciaga is what it’s as we speak due to all of the individuals who have paved the way in which,” he stated. “In all its phases, whereas consistently evolving and altering, it has by no means misplaced monitor of the Home’s aesthetic values.” His phrases sign a transparent intention: to construct upon the inspiration laid by his predecessors quite than erase it—a sentiment that has already struck a chord with trend insiders and devoted followers alike.
Kering’s resolution to faucet Pierpaolo Piccioli marks greater than a management change—it alerts a wider shift within the luxurious panorama towards authenticity, emotional resonance, and timeless artistry. Celebrated for his sculptural silhouettes, poetic use of colour, and deeply emotive couture at Valentino, Piccioli is poised to convey a considerate recalibration to all Balenciaga divisions, from ladies’s and males’s ready-to-wear to equipment and high fashion. His imaginative and prescient guarantees not solely evolution, however a soulful revival of the model’s heritage via a contemporary, humanistic lens.
A Human Part for Balenciaga
“Earlier than, there have been founders. Then there was the part of the inventive director. That is the third part. The human part,” Piccioli advised the press following his appointment. With that straightforward but profound assertion, he encapsulated the ethos driving his imaginative and prescient—one the place trend strikes past spectacle and as an alternative turns into a medium for connection, emotion, and storytelling. Now, with Piccioli formally on the helm of all issues Balenciaga, the Home is coming into a chapter that guarantees to be extra intimate, emotive, and rooted within the artwork of handcraft.
Furthermore, Kering—the powerhouse mother or father firm behind Balenciaga—has emphasised that this management shift aligns with its broader recommitment to couture excellence and artisanal savoir-faire. Francesca Bellettini, Kering’s Deputy CEO in command of Model Improvement, lauded Piccioli as “one of the crucial gifted and celebrated designers of as we speak,” highlighting his “ardour for savoir-faire” and “inventive voice” as superb traits for navigating Balenciaga’s subsequent part.
A Sleek Transition from Demna
pierpaolo piccioli is the brand new inventive director of balenciaga!!!!! that is massive!! pic.twitter.com/1vHimRtE6q
— 𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐚 (@pradapearll) Might 19, 2025
The inventive transition from Demna to Pierpaolo Piccioli is being rigorously choreographed, with each designers set to overlap in Paris for a month earlier than Demna’s ultimate present. This symbolic handover not solely represents mutual respect but additionally ensures continuity throughout all Balenciaga divisions throughout this pivotal second within the model’s evolution.
All through his tenure, Demna redefined Balenciaga, pushing boundaries by fusing excessive trend with streetwear and cultivating a daring, typically polarizing aesthetic rooted in shock worth and digital virality. His period introduced us dystopian runway spectacles, meme-worthy silhouettes, and a model identification that felt defiantly anti-establishment. Nonetheless, because the business recalibrates towards craftsmanship, emotional resonance, and sustainability, Piccioli’s arrival feels each well timed and deeply strategic.
Gracious in tone, Piccioli acknowledged his predecessor in his official assertion: “I need to at the beginning thank Demna; I’ve all the time admired his expertise and imaginative and prescient. I couldn’t ask for a greater passing of the torch.” His phrases sign not simply humility but additionally a honest dedication to honoring Balenciaga’s rebellious spirit, whereas gently steering it towards a future rooted in magnificence, poetry, and human connection.
What to Anticipate Underneath Piccioli’s Management
At 57, Pierpaolo Piccioli brings a long time of expertise—and a design language that blends classicism with fashionable relevance. Now, beneath his management, Balenciaga’s couture and ready-to-wear collections are anticipated to shift. Anticipate a stronger concentrate on silhouette, method, and storytelling.
Already, trend insiders are speculating. How will Piccioli’s romantic codes translate at a Home as soon as outlined by irony and brutalism? Will Balenciaga’s iconic outsized shapes soften into extra fluid, sculptural kinds? And will we see a return to daring colour and cloth experimentation, echoing the magic of his Valentino robes?
Gianfranco Gianangeli, CEO of Balenciaga, is optimistic: “His inventive imaginative and prescient will thrive, and he’ll completely interpret the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga, constructing on the Home’s daring creativity, wealthy heritage, and robust tradition.”
A New Chapter Begins
As the style world turns its gaze towards Paris, anticipation for Piccioli’s debut assortment is constructing quick. But there’s no stress for an abrupt reinvention—solely the promise of a considerate reimagining. What lies forward for all Balenciaga might not be louder, however it will likely be deeper. One factor is obvious: with Pierpaolo Piccioli on the helm, the Maison is getting into a brand new period—one which fuses custom with transformation, and provocation with poetry.
For followers of all issues Balenciaga, this marks a pivotal second. It’s a uncommon intersection of trend legacy, inventive genius, and a daring imaginative and prescient for the long run.
Featured picture: Mondadori Portfolio/Getty Photos
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