Balenciaga Creative Director Piccioli Exits After 16 Months

Balenciaga creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli is leaving the Kering-owned house after just 16 months, the group confirmed Thursday, capping a tenure that began in July 2025 and drew mixed reviews for its collections.

The exit removes one of the industry's most accomplished couturiers from a brand that Kering now intends to steer back toward a sharper, less romantic register — closer to the aesthetic of Demna, who designed Balenciaga for nearly a decade before departing the house.

Kering said the new creative direction of Balenciaga will be announced shortly. No successor was named at the time of the announcement, and no timeline beyond "shortly" was offered.

What did the executives say?

Gianfranco Gianangeli, president and CEO of Balenciaga, framed the departure as an amicable close: "We are deeply grateful for Pierpaolo's contribution to Balenciaga. Through his vision, he reaffirmed the couture origins of the house, bringing his considered approach to craftsmanship, construction and creativity. I would like to sincerely thank him for his dedication, generosity and collaboration."

Luca de Meo, CEO of Kering, called the designer "an exceptional couturier and creative talent for whom we have the greatest respect. Our ambition is to build on Balenciaga's avant-garde spirit, honor its remarkable heritage and continue to push creative boundaries, further establishing the house as a powerful and relevant voice."

The language signals continuity of brand positioning rather than a reset of strategy — but the succession decision itself sits squarely with de Meo, who has been replacing management and creative leadership across Kering's brand portfolio since taking the top job.

Why did the tenure end so quickly?

Piccioli joined Balenciaga in July 2025 after a long career at Valentino in Rome, where he earned strong critical reviews both for his solo work and for designs made with his former creative partner Maria Grazia Chiuri, now creative director of Fendi.

His Balenciaga output — a handful of collections — featured some beautiful pieces, but it became clear he was not the right fit under de Meo's leadership. Rumors of his departure had circulated widely before Thursday's confirmation, meaning the announcement formalized an expected move rather than revealing a surprise.

It is understood that Kering wants to return Balenciaga to the edgier identity of the Demna era, when the brand turned out sharp-edged, streetwise collections and courted repeated controversy with its advertising campaigns — a commercial and cultural profile sharply different from Piccioli's romantic couture sensibility.

What was Piccioli's creative position at the house?

Piccioli made his high-fashion debut at Balenciaga in July, one year after arriving at the French house. He positioned his work explicitly within the founder's tradition.

"I really get that idea of Cristóbal Balenciaga: that a couturier has to be a sculptor, or architect for the shapes, has to be a painter for the colors, a philosopher for how people feel in your clothes. All of this is something that I can take inspiration from," he told WWD earlier this year.

"But in a way, it also has to be very personal; I've learned to react in a very instinctive way," he added.

For that couture show, Piccioli staged an open-air, midday display at the Cité Universitaire, a university campus and private park in the 14th arrondissement of Paris — a deliberate break with the house's usual runway settings.

"I wanted to have couture related to the moment," he said. "You will see the collection paraded in this formal garden… It makes it more real in a way; it's more related to life."

With Piccioli's departure confirmed and a successor due to be named shortly, the open question for the trade is whether the next appointment comes from inside Kering's stable or from outside — and how quickly the new director can deliver a first collection consistent with the edgier direction Kering is seeking.