LONDON – Martine Rose, who worked closely with Demna during his decade at Balenciaga, is returning to the fashion house as creative director, Kering said Friday. The announcement comes in the wake of Pierpaolo Piccioli’s exit after less than 18 months on the job.
Kering said the Rose’s appointment “marks a new chapter” in the evolution of the house, adding that she “brings a deep understanding of the house’s creative identity to her own singular vision of contemporary culture.” Rose will be based in Paris, and take up her role on Nov. 16.
The designer said it was a privilege to be appointed creative director of Balenciaga, “a house with an extraordinary heritage and a fearless creative spirit. Balenciaga 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.”
Luca de Meo, CEO of Kering, described Balenciaga as a “house of radical creativity, challenging conventions and redefining the boundaries of fashion,” adding that Rose “embodies this spirit with a fresh, fearless and deeply contemporary vision. Her connection to the new generation and her instinctive understanding of culture bring a new dimension to the house. Her appointment reflects our ambition to keep Balenciaga at the forefront of innovation, creativity and culture.”
Gianfranco Gianangeli, president and CEO of Balenciaga, called Rose “an extraordinary creative talent with a bold and highly distinctive vision. Her ability to challenge conventions, reinvent silhouettes and bring an unexpected perspective to fashion resonates deeply with the spirit of innovation that defines Balenciaga. We are delighted to welcome her as creative director and look forward to this exciting new chapter for the house.”
Rose founded her label in 2007 and sold a majority stake to Tomorrow Ltd. in 2021. Over the years, she has worked on a variety of capsules and special projects for brands including Supreme, Nike, Napapijri and Tommy Hilfiger. In 2023, she became Clarks‘ first guest creative director, and the same year was a guest menswear designer at Pitti Uomo.
She worked alongside Demna on Balenciaga menswear in his early years at the house, and is widely regarded as having been a major influence on the brand’s oversize, distressed and vintage-flecked men’s silhouettes. Rose’s laid-back, urban cool and gender-fluid silhouettes have won her numerous fans, including Drake, Naomi Campbell, DJ Goldie, Kendrick Lamar and Timothée Chalamet.
The Balenciaga job should provide a much-needed boost for the designer, who was forced to press pause on her fall 2026 collection as she attempted to disentangle her namesake company from the troubled Tomorrow, which was sold earlier this year to The Level Group.
Her eponymous collection is sold through 200 stockists, including Dover Street Market globally, H Lorenzo, Nordstrom, The Webster, SKP in China and Browns online.
The fall 2026 collection never went into production, which is too bad because it was a fun one, full of hot pink fur, dark denim and flocked trousers, corset stitching on jackets and bits of slinky lingerie fused with dress shirts.
“It’s decadent through our lens, a mix of ’90s clubwear and old-world opulence,” Rose said.. “It’s about dressing up and showing off.” Rose looked to a diverse bunch of sartorial show-offs for inspiration, including King Henry VIII, James Brown and the British boxer known as Prince Naseem.
