Kering names Pierpaolo Piccioli creative director of Balenciaga

On 20 March 2025, the French luxury group Kering announced that Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli would become creative director of Balenciaga, the Paris fashion house it owns. He succeeded Demna, who had led the label since 2015 and was moving to Kering's Gucci brand.

Piccioli had left Valentino in 2024, after about 25 years at the Roman house, where he had been a leading creative figure and was known for colour-rich, couture-influenced collections. His move to Balenciaga was seen as a sharp change of tone, because Demna's era had been defined by streetwear, irony and provocative marketing.

The appointment mattered because Balenciaga was one of Kering's most important brands, and the group was reshuffling its creative leadership across several labels at once. Observers saw the choice as an attempt to bring a warmer, more refined image to a house that had also faced controversy over past advertising campaigns.