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Kering, the French luxury group, announced Friday that British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose will lead Balenciaga, replacing Pierpaolo Piccioli, who is leaving after just 18 months on the job.
Kering, which also owns Gucci, Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen, announced Piccioli’s departure on Thursday. A creative director sets the overall design direction of a fashion house. Piccioli, a former creative director at Italian label Valentino, took over at Balenciaga in July 2025 from Demna, who moved to Gucci.
“Her appointment reflects our ambition to keep Balenciaga at the forefront of innovation, creativity and culture,” Kering chief executive Luca de Meo said in a statement.
De Meo has been shaking up management at the conglomerate’s smaller houses while also seeking to boost sales at its flagship Gucci and Saint Laurent brands.
The former Renault chief, who took over last year, is grappling with industry-wide pressure amid weaker demand from China and worries about consumer spending across the global economy.
Rose, 45, created her namesake menswear label in London in 2007, and had already worked as a consultant for Balenciaga’s menswear line from 2015 to 2018 under its star Georgian designer, from the country of Georgia, Demna.
Her first show is set for February during Paris Fashion Week.
“Balenciaga has always been a House of radical creativity, challenging conventions and redefining the boundaries of fashion. Martine Rose embodies this spirit with a fresh, fearless and deeply contemporary vision,” de Meo said.
In the statement, Rose said the house created by Spaniard Cristobal Balenciaga in 1919 “has been shaped by remarkable creative talents before me."
“I am committed to honoring this legacy and look forward to creating the next chapter in this rich and beautiful story,” she said.
The house was founded in San Sebastian, Spain, and moved to Paris in 1937. Nicolas Ghesquiere led it from 1997 to 2012, followed by Alexander Wang until 2015 and Demna from 2015 until 2025.
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