Martine Rose Is Balenciaga’s New Creative Director

Football terraces, underground raves, house music, and the streets of London have long informed Martine Rose and her idea of fashion. Now, those influences are making their way to one of Paris’s most storied luxury houses.

Kering confirmed on Friday that the British-Jamaican designer will take over as Balenciaga’s creative director, effective November 16. She succeeds Pierpaolo Piccioli, whose departure was announced just a day earlier, after assuming the role in July 2025.

Founded in London in 2007, Rose’s eponymous label has built a devoted following by finding new possibilities in familiar clothes. Her collections frequently blur the boundaries between sportswear, workwear, and tailoringTailoringThe craft of cutting, fitting, and altering clothes to suit an individual's body, from adjusting trouser hems to creating an entire suit. Good tailoring transforms how clothes look and feel,Go to Tailoring Glossary, with exaggerated proportions and references to British subcultures giving everyday pieces an entirely different character. Collaborations with Nike, Supreme, and Clarks have further introduced her work to audiences beyond the fashion industry.

Her appointment is also something of a homecoming. Rose previously worked alongside Demna at Balenciaga, helping develop the house’s menswearMenswearClothing, footwear, and accessories designed for men, spanning tailoring, casual wear, streetwear, and everything in between. Menswear has grown more expressive and experimental in recent years, and it blends classicGo to Menswear Glossary for several years. Demna’s tenure was defined by a willingness to challenge luxury conventions, turning ordinary garments and provocative ideas into some of fashion’s most talked-about collections. Rose brings a similarly unconventional sensibility, albeit one shaped by her own distinct cultural references.

There are commercial considerations behind the move, too. Under Demna, menswearMenswearClothing, footwear, and accessories designed for men, spanning tailoring, casual wear, streetwear, and everything in between. Menswear has grown more expressive and experimental in recent years, and it blends classicGo to Menswear Glossary accounted for as much as half of Balenciaga’s revenue. Rose’s experience in the category could prove valuable as Kering looks to strengthen the brand’s connection with younger consumers. Whether her vision will translate as successfully to womenswear and accessories remains to be seen.

For Luca de Meo, Kering’s chief executive, the appointment represents his first major creative director hire since taking the helm of the luxury group. In a statement, he described Rose as embodying Balenciaga’s “fresh, fearless and deeply contemporary vision.”

Beyond the creative implications, the decision carries significance for representation. Rose becomes only the second Black woman to lead a major European luxury fashion house, following Grace Wales Bonner’s appointment to Hermès menswear in 2025.

At Balenciaga, a house that has repeatedly reinvented its relationship with contemporary culture, Rose now has the opportunity to make that relationship her own.