The house of Balenciaga, founded by the master of Getaria, is entering a new era. From now on, it is the Italian Pierpaolo Piccioli, former artistic director of Valentino, who takes the helm. A bold turning point for the historic brand, known for its avant-garde spirit and mastery of volume.

When Pierpaolo Piccioli landed in Paris to assume his new role as Balenciaga’s creative director last June, he went straight from the airport to the brand’s archives, where he spent three days eagerly studying dresses he had only ever seen in photographs.

He spent the following month working at Balenciaga’s headquarters, alongside Demna, who presented his final couture show on July 9 before taking over as artistic director of sister house Gucci in Italy.

Piccioli is a thoughtful, driven, and deeply humanistic creator, eager to learn about those who led the house before him, to pay tribute to their contributions, and to grasp the very essence of how he would leave his own mark on Balenciaga.

Even before arriving in Paris his appointment having been announced the previous May Piccioli had traveled to the founder’s hometown and visited the Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum in Getaria, Spain. There, he was astonished to discover footage of a woman wearing a dark Balenciaga sack dress walking through the streets of Paris in the 1950s, drawing both curiosity and disdain.

Before leaving Valentino in March 2024, Piccioli had spent most of his career within the Roman house, sharing the artistic direction with Maria Grazia Chiuri from 2008 to 2016, the year he took over solo and, as we had always said, he was the best of the two.

For his very first show at the helm of Balenciaga, the Roman designer received support as prestigious as it was unexpected: Meghan Markle herself. The Duchess of Sussex traveled to Paris to attend the highly anticipated presentation, marking her first appearance at Paris Fashion Week. A symbolic presence that underscores the international and cultural dimension of Balenciaga’s renewal.

Between Spanish heritage, Italian elegance, and global influence, Pierpaolo Piccioli already seems poised to redefine the house’s identity. His poetic and humanistic approach to fashion promises to bring a new sensitivity to the sometimes brutal world of Balenciaga a meeting of architectural rigor and pure emotion. The message is clear: Balenciaga is opening a new chapter, and everyone wants to witness it.

FM