Paris (France) (AFP) – The British Martine Rose, from a Jamaican family, was appointed on Friday as creative director of Balenciaga, the famous French fashion house that she knew in the era of the Georgian designer Demna, becoming the first woman to hold this position.

First modification: 06/11/2026 - 18:27

"It is an enormous privilege to be named creative director of Balenciaga, a house with an extraordinary legacy and a bold creative spirit that has always inspired me," says the 45-year-old designer, quoted in a statement from the Kering group announcing her appointment.

Thus she becomes one of the few black creators at the head of a large luxury house, along with Grace Wales Bonner, also British and Caribbean, named last year for men's creation at Hermès.

The French luxury group Kering announced this Friday that Rose will take over as creative director of Balenciaga, following the departure of Pierpaolo Piccioli, who was in the position for just over 18 months.

Martine Rose knows the house founded in 1917 by Cristóbal Balenciaga well, because between 2015 and 2018 she had been a consultant for Balenciaga's men's collections alongside Demna, who hired her as soon as she arrived.

From that position he played an important role in the aesthetic turn that marked the success of that era: wide and oversized silhouettes, straight-cut suits or the so-called "dad shoes", chunky retro-inspired sneakers.

Rose, who founded his own eponymous men's fashion brand in London in 2007, claims to have grown up in the heart of British countercultures, from rave to hip-hop, including punk and football.

For Luca de Meo, CEO of Kering, Martine Rose embodies "the spirit" of the firm "of radical creativity."

"Its closeness to the new generation and its close ties to culture bring a new dimension to the house," Kering insisted in the statement.

"Rihanna is regularly seen with her creations, while Kendrick Lamar has practically made her his go-to designer for some of the most important moments of his career," notes this Friday the British edition of Vogue.

The fashion world celebrates this appointment; An example of this is fashion consultant Dryce Lahssan, who wrote on Instagram: "We adore Martine, let's go!"

A new chapter

Her name had been bandied about for several weeks as the successor to Pierpaolo Piccioli, whose departure was announced the day before after weeks of rumours.

Coming from Valentino, Piccioli had assumed the artistic direction of Balenciaga in May 2025, founded in Spain but based in Paris since 1937.

The 59-year-old designer was commissioned to open a "new chapter" for the luxury house after the Georgian Demna era, as striking as it was controversial.

Rose will take up her position on November 16 and her first show is expected to take place in February, during Paris Fashion Week.

Since Luca de Meo arrived at Kering in September last year, the French luxury group is carrying out an extensive reshuffle of the artistic directors of its brands.

In mid-October, the group announced the departure of the Irishman Seán McGirr from the Alexander McQueen firm, which he had joined in 2023.

A week earlier he announced that of the Belgian designer Anthony Vaccarello of Saint Laurent, after more than a decade at the helm of the legendary French brand.

© 2026 AFP

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