Kering has named Martine Rose creative director of Balenciaga, effective 16 November, one day after the house confirmed Pierpaolo Piccioli’s exit. The London designer becomes the first woman to lead Balenciaga’s creative direction in its nearly 110-year history.
The announcement
Kering confirmed the appointment on Friday 6 November, and Rose will be based in Paris. Piccioli, who joined from Valentino, leaves after only about 16 months in the role. His colourful couture-led approach drew mixed reviews, and the news arrived the day after his departure was announced.
Rose said it was “a true privilege to be appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga” and that she is committed to honouring its legacy. Balenciaga CEO Gianfranco Gianangeli praised her ability to challenge conventions and reinvent silhouettes. Kering CEO Luca de Meo called her vision fresh, fearless and deeply contemporary.
A return, with the keys this time
Rose is no stranger to the house. From 2015 to 2018 she consulted on Balenciaga menswear under Demna, who has since moved to Gucci. She founded her own label in London in 2007, built on subculture, music and the social codes of dress, shaped by her British-Jamaican heritage and the London of her youth.
Her cult status rests on pieces like the 2017 “Cola” tee, which riffed on a Bernie Sanders campaign logo, and a 2019 Nike collaboration that squeezed an oversized upper onto a normal-sized sole. More recently, Kendrick Lamar wore her jacket at the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show.
Why it matters
This is the third creative leadership shake-up in a month across Kering’s brands, and the first creative director hire by de Meo, who is trying to restore growth after a three-year slowdown. Business of Fashion notes that the hiring also follows Grace Wales Bonner’s 2025 arrival at Hermès menswear, another breakthrough for a historically male-dominated role.
Rose offers a closer link to the Demna era than Piccioli did, which many read as a return to the cultural relevance that won Balenciaga young buyers. There is a practical question too: she has not staged a runway show since her spring/summer 2026 presentation in June, and she sold a 60 percent stake in her label in 2021. How her own brand fits alongside Balenciaga is not yet clear.
What’s next
Rose starts on 16 November. No debut date has been announced, so the first collection under her direction remains the thing to watch.
Related reading
- Kering’s Creative Reset: What It Means for Emerging Designers
- Balenciaga Finds Its Heart Again With Pierpaolo Piccioli
- Why Gucci Chose Demna as Its New Creative Director
- Speaking of Fashion #8: Anastasia Samara
Sources: Kering press release (6 November 2026), Business of Fashion, FashionUnited, Reuters, Fashion Biznes and HK01. Photo credits to be added.
