Reports: Pierpaolo Piccioli may leave Balenciaga after about a year
Industry reports say the Kering-owned house’s artistic director could exit after the 1 October SS27 show; Balenciaga and Kering have not confirmed a departure. Piccioli remains listed as artistic director; sources cited by Design Scene link pressure to commercial results, including menswear.
Pierpaolo Piccioli could leave Balenciaga after just over a year as creative director, according to industry reports summarised by Design Scene on 23 September, with an announcement possibly after the house’s spring/summer 2027 show on 1 October.
Unconfirmed; show still scheduled
Balenciaga and parent Kering have not publicly announced a departure, and Piccioli remains listed as artistic director. The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode still lists Balenciaga’s next runway for 1 October at 2 p.m. in Paris. Vogue’s Paris Fashion Week cheat sheet also flags Piccioli’s third women’s ready-to-wear show for the house this season.
Tenure and commercial pressure
Piccioli joined Balenciaga in July 2025 after 25 years at Valentino, succeeding Demna. Design Scene said sources attributed a possible early exit to commercial concerns — including claims that a couture-oriented direction and weaker menswear sales had not met expectations under Kering CEO Luca de Meo. Kering has not publicly confirmed those specific claims. Any change would leave only a short body of work, including Piccioli’s first Balenciaga haute couture collection in July 2026, through which to assess his direction for the house.
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