THEThe Kering group has made official The appointment of Pierpaolo Piccioli driving Balenciagastarting From 10 July 2025. A choice that arrives in a crucial moment for the French giant, committed to repositioning its flagship maison (Gucci in the lead) towards a structured and coherent creative direction.
Romano, born in 1967, Piccioli left Valentino last March after almost two decades And it represents a prominent figure in the fashion system. A designer who has made empathy, grace and couture his language, which will find a cumbersome and complex inheritance in Balenciaga – marked, starting from 2015, by the original and desecrating vision of Demna.
Pierpaolo Piccioli, what the letter of the appointment by Balenciaga says
The contrast between the two is evident. And for this reason, significant. “In all its phases, although evolving and changing, Balenciaga has never lost sight of the aesthetic values of the maison”, Piccioli writes in the letter issued at the same time as the announcement of the appointment. “Cristóbal, Nicolas, Alex, Demna: Balenciaga is what is thanks to all the people who have opened the way”.
A tone that suggests continuity, but also leaves room for a new beginning. In an intimate passage, the new creative director also recalls a detector detail: «I am not a big fan of predestination, but while I was scrolling my Instagram page I realized that the first photo I published was the 1967 wedding dress signed by Cristóbal Balenciaga. A sign? Maybe not. But now I can see the largest image ».
Balenciaga, why the choice of Pierpaolo Piccioli?
Meanwhile, Kering seems to consolidate a slow but targeted strategy of relaunch. After the creative change in Gucci with Demna instead of Saturday De Sarno and the arrival of Alessandro Michele da Valentino (30% participated in Kering through an agreement with Mayhola for Investments, majority shareholder), the appointment of Pierpaolo Piccioli da Balenciaga confirms the group’s willingness to report the creative speech on coordinates Ricercate and solid together.
The risk could prove twofold: on the one hand, to dampen the subversive energy that had made Balenciaga a global and viral phenomenon; on the other, graft an aesthetic too far from that of the public conquered by Demna. Piccioli appears to be conscious: “Balenciaga is a house where creativity has always been a culture and innovation a science,” he writes. “Being here today to model a new story honors me and makes me proud.” And again: “What I receive today is a brand full of possibilities, incredibly fascinating.”
Balenciaga, the new course by Pierpaolo Piccioli
But what possibilities? The most concrete hypothesis is that Piccioli pushes Balenciaga towards a more architectural, less conceptual and more formal style, near Cristóbal but filtered by his lyrical aesthetic. In the meantime, Kering bets on depth, identity, long duration. And he does it by relying on those who have shown that they know how to build imaginations without obsessively chasing the trends (in addition to the appointment of Piccioli, it also becomes effective that of the new CEO of Balenciaga, Gianfranco Gianangeli).
“The work is done by people,” concludes Piccioli in the letter. “AND The way people feel in work is the only thing that matters ». A phrase that sounds simple, yet it is rather radical, considered the current system. Will this small statement be the big step with which Balenciaga is preparing to leave?
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