Piccioli’s Balenciaga SS27 brings colour blocks, soft sneakers and logo-light bags

Balenciaga creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli presented his Summer 2027 collection at Paris Fashion Week on Thursday, 1 October, with colourful tailoring and minimalist sneakers as he continues to refresh the Kering-owned house a year after his debut, Reuters reported from Paris.

Colour, cut and footwear

In a bright white set at the Tennis Club de Paris, models wore bomber jackets with cinched waists and high collars past a front row that included Anna Wintour and Kering chairman François-Henri Pinault. Jackets in bright pink and cobalt blue formed colour blocks against wide white trousers and ripped jeans; flowing gowns appeared in orange and powder pink. Footwear was flat and minimalist — soft thong sandals and the slipper-like Lounge Sneaker — a departure from the chunky oversized sneakers of Demna’s era. Large handbags in green, orange and blue carried no visible logos. Show notes stressed “lightness and softness” and comfort, aiming to win back customers turned off by post-pandemic price hikes.

House reset

Piccioli was named to lead Balenciaga in May 2025 as predecessor Demna moved to Gucci, part of Kering’s bid to reverse a sales decline. Previously at Valentino, he has been tasked with reigniting womenswear interest after the brand skewed toward menswear and with injecting colour after a black-leather-dominated period under Demna. More daring looks included a white lace dress with ostrich-feather skirt and combat boots, and an orange dress covered in organza flower strings.