Martine Rose Named Creative Director of Balenciaga

Balenciaga’s new creative director has been revealed. In a statement on 6 November 2026, the house’s owner Kering announced that London designer Martine Rose has been appointed creative director of Balenciaga. Rose will take up her role on 16 November 2026 and will be based in Paris. The appointment came just one day after it was announced that Pierpaolo Piccioli would leave the house, meaning the vacancy at Balenciaga was filled almost without delay.

WWD's post announcing Martine Rose's appointment

We covered Piccioli’s departure in a separate article earlier. Here we sum up the name behind the new era, her background and what the appointment means for the fashion world.

Who is Martine Rose?

Martine Rose founded her eponymous label in London in 2007. In its early years the label focused on men’s shirts before gradually growing into a full collection. Rose’s design language draws on music, nightlife, subcultures and the everyday dress of London’s multicultural neighbourhoods. Her way of reconstructing familiar garments with unexpected proportions has made her one of the most talked-about menswear designers of recent years.

Kering’s statement highlights this too: the company stressed that Rose builds her work on subculture, music, identity and the social codes of clothing, and questions the established rules of fashion and masculinity. The statement also noted that the designer is known for her runway choices and her approach to casting. That is an important detail for anyone who follows the modelling world closely: Rose’s shows often feature street-cast faces alongside professional models.

Rose’s list of collaborations is long, too. She has worked on joint projects with brands such as Nike, Supreme, Stüssy, Napapijri, Tommy Hilfiger and Clarks. Alongside her own collections, she also acts as a creative consultant to various brands and artists.

Vogue Runway: looks from Martine Rose's collections

A return to Balenciaga

Rose is no stranger to Balenciaga. In Demna’s early years at the house, from 2015, she worked as a consultant on the men’s collections for around three years. According to sources, during this period she helped shape the oversized, vintage-inflected silhouettes that defined Balenciaga’s last decade. In other words, Rose returns as someone who knows the house’s recent past from the inside.

In her new role she will take on overall creative direction covering womenswear, menswear and accessories. The date of Rose’s first collection for Balenciaga has not yet been announced; it would be wrong to speculate until an official schedule is released.

In the statement, Rose said: “It is a true privilege to be appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga.” Kering CEO Luca de Meo described Rose’s vision as fresh, fearless and deeply contemporary. Balenciaga president and CEO Gianfranco Gianangeli also said they welcomed the designer as the beginning of an exciting new chapter for the house.

A wave of change at Kering

The appointment is part of a busy period under the Kering umbrella. Piccioli’s exit was the third creative director departure across the group’s houses within a month; designer changes had previously been announced at Saint Laurent and McQueen. Martine Rose stands out as the first creative director appointment since Luca de Meo took the helm at Kering.

Piccioli arrived at Balenciaga in May 2025 and pursued a more romantic line that emphasised the house’s couture heritage and craftsmanship. His tenure lasted less than 18 months. Given that Rose comes from an entirely different background fed by street culture and subcultures, the contrast between the two approaches is striking; only the first show will reveal how it is reflected in Balenciaga’s collections.

Why it matters

Balenciaga has been one of the houses that set the fashion agenda most over the past decade. The arrival at the helm of such a house of a designer who has grown her own label independently and is known for menswear is a strong signal of the kind of profile big luxury groups are looking for in creative leadership. Kering’s choice shows it is turning to designers with high cultural impact who can connect with a younger generation.

The appointment is also notable from a modelling and casting perspective. If Rose’s casting approach, which makes room for different body types, ages and backgrounds, is carried onto the Balenciaga runway, we may see new momentum in how faces are chosen for major shows in Paris. Anyone wanting to follow the Paris seasons can take a look at our fashion week calendar guide.

Sources

Image: The window of the Balenciaga store in Madrid (representative image) — Zarateman, Wikimedia Commons, CC0