Martine Rose takes Balenciaga as Creative Director

Key facts

• What: Martine Rose appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga
• Said on: Friday, November 6, 2026 (Kering)
• Starts: November 16, 2026, based in Paris
• Succeeds: Pierpaolo Piccioli (exit announced November 5, 2026)
• Background: founded her London label in 2007; consulted Balenciaga menswear under Demna, 2015 to 2018
• First woman creatively leading the house in 109 years: reported by Vogue (not claimed in the Kering release text)
• First show: expected at Paris Fashion Week in February, per AFP

Kering did not bury the news. On Friday it posted a short release naming Martine Rose Creative Director of Balenciaga. She will work from Paris and take up the role on November 16.

That is eleven days after Pierpaolo Piccioli’s exit from the same job. AFP puts his tenure at about 18 months. Vogue counts three seasons.

https://x.com/voguemagazine/status/2118601126006407168

Post: Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) on X. No official Kering or Balenciaga X post was found at build time.

What Rose said, and what Kering said

Rose’s quote in the Kering release is careful and short. She called the appointment “a true privilege,” pointed to the house’s “extraordinary heritage and a fearless creative spirit,” and said she looks forward to the next chapter.

Luca de Meo, Kering’s CEO, framed her as fresh and contemporary. Gianfranco Gianangeli, Balenciaga’s president and CEO, talked about her bold vision and unexpected perspective. The corporate language is familiar. The choice is not.

London roots, house history

Rose founded her own label in London in 2007. Kering’s bio stresses subculture, music, identity and the social codes of dress. She consulted on Balenciaga menswear from 2015 to 2018 while Demna led the house. That earlier chapter is why so many editors treated Friday’s news as a return rather than a cold start.

Vogue writes that she will be the first woman to lead Balenciaga creatively in its 109-year history. The Kering release itself does not use that phrasing, so we keep it attributed to Vogue.

What comes next on the calendar

AFP reports her first show is expected during Paris Fashion Week in February. Kering’s Friday note does not lock a runway date. Until the house publishes a schedule, February stays an AFP expectation, not a confirmed booking on our page.

Piccioli’s departure landed on Instagram with a note about couture needing time and conviction, AFP reported. No detailed reason for the split appeared in the materials we checked.

For a house that has swung from Demna’s oversized street codes to Piccioli’s couture instinct in under two years, Rose’s London-to-Paris move is the next bet. The clothes will have to argue the case starting next year.

Top photo: Illustrative image. A Balenciaga store exterior. ajay_suresh via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.