When heritage dialogues with modern elegance
2025 marks a decisive turning point for Balenciaga as Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli takes the creative helm. His debut collection for the house opened a narrative that’s as much about renewal as it is about legacy..
New Cap, Same Flag
Piccioli succeeds Demna Gvasalia and embarks on a re-examination of Balenciaga founding spirit, refusing mere tribute and instead offering a measured recalibration.
His pre-show invitation—an audible heartbeat on a cassette—set the emotional tone: fashion beyond clothes.
„The Heartbeat“ – Fashion as Pulse
Presented during Paris Fashion Week on 4 October 2025, “The Heartbeat” collection melded Balenciaga’s archive sack-dress with crop-tops, minimalist leather jackets, chino trousers and cape-like sleeves. A dialogue between couture and street, elegance and edge.
Piccioli declared:
„For every heartbeat there is a name, a moment, a gesture. This collection comes from that place of love and connection.“ Wallpaper*
Legacy, Materiality & Emotion
He revisits key silhouettes—sack dresses, voluminous shapes—and fuses them with contemporary nuances. Technical fabrics meet leather staples; bold colours meet quotidian silhouettes.
Piccioli’s approach reinstalls craftsmanship, emotion and connectivity at the centre of fashion, adding a new chapter to Balenciaga’s journey.
Why it matters
This is not just a designer switch. It’s a reset moment:
- A heritage house embracing introspection, not disruption.
- The return of emotional design, next to high-performance fashion.
- A potential shift in audience: from hype-driven to thought-led.
Piccioli inherits a billion-euro brand. His eye, however, zeroes in on the beauty of feeling, the pulse beneath the polish.
