“It’s an immense privilege”: British Martine Rose appointed head of Balenciaga

“Martine Rose combines a deep understanding of the creative identity of the house with a singular vision of contemporary culture,” said the Kering group in a press release on Friday, November 6. British designer Martine Rose, from a Jamaican family, was named creative director of Balenciaga, the day after the departure of Italian Pierpaolo Piccioli, who remained at the helm of the luxury house for a year and a half.

“It is an immense privilege to be named creative director of Balenciaga, a house with an extraordinary heritage and a bold creative spirit that has always inspired me,” said the 45-year-old designer, quoted in the press release. Martine Rose knows the house well since between 2015 and 2018, she was a consultant for Balenciaga's men's collections alongside the Georgian Demna, who recruited her upon her arrival.

A new dimension for the home

The fashion world knows the role it played in the aesthetic shift that made this period successful: loose and oversized silhouettes, boxy suits, “dad shoes” – large retro-inspired sneakers – and a diversion of pop codes. The Briton founded her own eponymous men's fashion brand in London in 2007. She says she was immersed in British countercultures, from rave to hip-hop, including punk and football.

For Luca de Meo, general director of Kering, Martine Rose embodies “the spirit” of a house “of radical creativity”. “Its proximity to the new generation and its close links with culture bring a new dimension to the house,” he added. His name has been circulating insistently for several weeks to succeed Pierpaolo Piccioli, whose departure was announced on Thursday November 5.

Pierpaolo Piccioli arrived in May 2025 as artistic director of Balenciaga, founded in Spain but based in Paris since 1937, after twenty-five years at Valentino, from which he took over the reins with Maria Grazia Chiuri. The 59-year-old stylist was tasked with opening a “new chapter” for the luxury house after the era of the Georgian Demna, as flamboyant as it was controversial.

Vast redesign

Martine Rose will take office on November 16 and her first show is expected to take place in February, during Paris Fashion Week. The rumor of Piccioli's replacement had stirred women's fashion week in Paris in early October, particularly due to lower-than-expected sales at Kering, according to press reports.

The luxury group, which owns many labels such as Gucci, Saint Laurent and Bottega Veneta, recently launched major maneuvers within its houses. On October 9, he announced the departure of the artistic director of Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello, in post since 2016, a few days before letting Sean McGirr leave as artistic director of Alexander McQueen, a sign of a vast creative reshuffle initiated by the general director of Kering, Luca de Meo.