Balenciaga is in new hands. Pierpaolo Piccioli, formerly of Valentino, will replace Demna as the house's creative director this year, it has been announced. Demna, the mononymic designer renowned for his work at Vetements before he moved to Balenciaga in 2015, will be taking the reins at Gucci. In a year of great change for the fashion industry, Piccioli's appointment at the Kering-owned brand is particularly exciting for couture fans. Renowned for his exquisite haute couture work at Valentino, Piccioli seems like an obvious successor to the great craftsman Cristóbal Balenciaga, the house's founder.
In a letter, Piccoli mentioned the fact that his very first Instagram post was of a wedding ensemble designed by Balenciaga in 1967: 'I’m not a big fan of predestination but as I was scrolling my personal IG page, I realised that the very first picture I’ve uploaded was the 1967 wedding ensemble by Cristóbal Balenciaga. Don’t know if I should take it as a sign, what I know is that now I can see the bigger picture.'
One of fashion's most beloved (and nicest) designers, Piccioli's aesthetic is almost a direct antithesis of Demna's; where the latter is known for his dystopian take on design, one which often spotlights political causes, Piccioli is altogether more romantic, softer in his approach. It will be interesting to see how this translates at Balenciaga, whose profits were resuscitated by Demna and his take on streetwear. He did also re-open the couture house, which will no doubt be a focus for Piccioli who, in his letter, thanked 'all the people who have paved the way. Cristóbal, Nicolas [Ghesquière], Alex [Wang], Demna.'
While Balenciaga has seen great success under the guidance of Demna, Kering posted much lower profits overall in 2024, stating that revenue was down by 12%. Given that it also owns Gucci and Bottega Veneta, both of which have endured creative change this year, it's no doubt hoping that such changes will reinvigorate its leading brands. Piccioli is due to show his first ready-to-wear collection for Balenciaga in October, during Paris Fashion Week.
'What I am receiving today is a brand full of possibilities that is incredibly fascinating,' said Piccioli. 'This gives me the chance to shape a new version of the maison, adding another chapter with a new story. My chapter of the House of Balenciaga.'
While we must wait to see what Piccioli's chapter looks like, it's an exciting prospect that Balenciaga might finally be going back to its roots.
Hannah Banks-Walker is Grazia's head of fashion commerce. She has previously written for the likes of Harper's Bazaar, The Financial Times, Glamour, Stylist, The Telegraph, Red, i-D and The Pool on everything from fashion to curly hair (hi!) to the patriarchy. Not necessarily in that order. Find her on Instagram and Twitter. But please don't look for her MySpace profile, which until now was the last time she wrote about herself in the third person.