Pierpaolo Piccioli is leaving the post of creative director at Balenciaga

Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli is leaving the post of creative director at the French fashion house Balenciaga.

The brand's parent company, Kering, announced this in an official statement.

According to the statement, the parties decided to end their cooperation. Balenciaga's management thanked the designer for his contribution to the development of the fashion house, highlighting his attention to craftsmanship, construction and creative approach.

Balenciaga chief executive Gianfranco Gianangeli expressed his gratitude to P. Piccioli for the work he had done and wished him success in his further career.

In his farewell address, Pierpaolo Piccioli called couture not merely a direction in fashion, but a particular way of thinking and of expressing creative individuality. He thanked everyone who had shared this path with him for their work together, their courage and their devotion to the craft.

"Life is a journey, and every chapter exists in order to give way to the next. Nothing truly ends - everything evolves," the designer writes on Instagram, urging people to stay true to their own values and to keep shining, no matter what.

Pierpaolo Piccioli joined Balenciaga in July 2025, succeeding as creative director Demna, who later took charge of Gucci. Before moving to Balenciaga, the designer spent 25 years at the Italian fashion house Valentino, where from 2008 he held the position of co-director for the creative side, and from 2016 led it on his own.

No information has yet been announced about who will take the vacant post at Balenciaga.