Designer Martine Rose has taken the helm at Balenciaga, succeeding Pierpaolo Piccioli as creative director. Although Kering, the brand’s parent company, has not commented on the personnel changes, one possible reason might be a decline in Balenciaga’s sales. According to Vogue, the second and third quarters of 2026 were «challenging» for Balenciaga, although the brand reported a surge in leather goods sales earlier this year.
«Balenciaga is seeing very good results on the leather goods, with the City and the Rodeo, and we just launched a new bag, Hourglass Avenue, that has a very good start. And at the same time, it’s suffering on ready-to-wear and shoes, where we need to focus on introducing new lines and new products,» said Armelle Poulou, Kering’s chief financial officer.
Piccioli has long been associated with Valentino, where he worked for 25 years, including eight as the fashion house’s creative director. It is unclear what he will do after leaving Balenciaga.
Rose has been in the fashion industry since 2002. In 2007, she launched a menswear brand inspired by London’s rave and punk scenes. She is also well known for her choice of venues for her runway shows, such as a marketplace or a climbing gym. Rose already has experience working on Balenciaga’s menswear collections alongside Demna Gvasalia, who preceded Piccioli.
Interestingly, Rose will be the first woman to hold the key position at Balenciaga since its 1987 relaunch. Before her, all the brand’s creative directors were men: Michel Goma, Josephus Thimister, Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang, Gvasalia and Piccioli.
