Kering announces the appointment of Piccioli as a new creative director of Balenciaga. The former Valentino will debut in October, collecting Demna’s legacy in the sign of continuity and renewal.
It is official: Pierpaolo Piccioli will take the creative reins of Balenciaga, happening to Demna, as announced by the Kering group. The assignment will be effective from 10 July 2025, immediately after the last couture fashion show signed by Demna for the Maison, but Piccioli is already working on his first collection, expected for October during Paris Fashion Week.
The words of the designer
«This is a new time for fashion, and you can change the rules only from the inside. I believe that we can propose a new image of fashion that speaks of assertiveness, humanity and intelligence, values not always obvious ».
«I want to embrace the past, because I feel that it is very important to have respect for what Nicolas (Ghesquière) and Demna did before me. The story of Balenciaga is a story of designer who respects deeply, “continued Piccioli. “This is more a passage of witness than a game of chairs, and I feel very lucky to be part of it.”
The Italian designer also evoked a personal link with the founder Cristóbal Balenciaga: “I come from a very small place, just like Cristóbal, and I know well that doing the job you love is a privilege”. And he added: «Cristóbal expressed himself through his job. If we think of his silhouettes, his forms – he made creativity a culture, and has always been an innovator ».
Pierpaolo Piccioli’s career
Piccioli arrives in Balenciaga after a twenty years of course in Valentino, a house in which he entered in 1999 together with Maria Grazia Chiuri, with whom he shared the creative direction until 2016. In that year, after the departure of Chiuri for Dior, he assumed the role of single director, tracing a new course made of visionary romanticism, emotional sophistication and social awareness. His Haute Couture collections have been able to combine the historical inheritance of the maison with a contemporary sensitivity, without giving in to nostalgia or formalism.
Beyond the aesthetic gearbox: a strategic vision
Apparently distant from the visual language of Demna – more conceptual and provocative – the style of Piccioli, more lyric and humanist, could mark a new strategic balance for Balenciaga. But it’s not just aesthetic. Piccioli’s choice suggests a deeper intention from Kering: recalibrating the brand’s cultural positioning, maintaining its innovative charge but with a new narrative intensity and, perhaps, greater empathic opening.
Francesca Bellettini, Deputy Ceo of the group, said in an official press release: «He is one of the most talented and celebrated designers of our time. His mastery of Haute Couture, his creative voice and his passion for Savoir-Faire make him the ideal choice for the maison ».
Words also confirmed by Gianfranco Gianangeli, CEO of Balenciaga from January 2025: “His creative vision will prospect, and will perfectly interpret the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga, building on the bold creativity, the rich heritage and on the strong culture of the house”.
A key step for Kering
The appointment of Piccioli is also part of a wider strategy of the Kering group. After the acquisition of Valentino of Valentino in 2023 for 1.7 billion euros, with the option to acquire the remainder by 2028, the move further strengthens the influence of the French giant on the geography of luxury. Just under the guidance of Piccioli, Valentino closed 2024 with revenues for 1.3 billion euros, a figure not far from 1.66 billion estimated for Balenciaga in the same period.
Balenciaga, after the reputational crisis of 2022 and the slowdown of the global luxury market, is knowing a gradual recovery, particularly in the Leather Goods segment. The promotion of Nathalie Raynaud to Deputy Ceo and the arrival of Gianangeli confirm the intention to stabilize and relaunch the brand also on the managerial level.
