Who was the creative director of Balenciaga before Pierpaolo Piccioli?

Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeded Demna (artistic director, 2015–2025). The full timeline is on this page, with a source for each term.

Tier A · Paris, France

BalenciagaCreative directors & runway casting

Who is the creative director of Balenciaga?

Pierpaolo Piccioli is Balenciaga’s creative director, a role announced in May 2025. Before: Demna (2015–2025). Checked 22 October 2026. Balenciaga has had 7 creative leads since 1917, each sourced on this page. The Cast Index ledger records 5 verified runway walks for Balenciaga, by models including Anok Yai, Vittoria Ceretti and Liu Wen.

By Kaiser Khan, Founder & Editor · Updated 22 October 2026 · Editorial policy

Creative director: Pierpaolo Piccioli
Since: 2025
Previously: Demna (2015–2025)

Piccioli took up the role on 10 July 2025 and showed his first collection in October 2025. Unconfirmed reports relayed by AFP in late September 2026 suggested Kering could make a change; neither Kering nor Balenciaga had announced one when we checked on 22 October 2026. Source ↗

Checked 22 October 2026 · Kering — Pierpaolo Piccioli appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga (19 May 2025) ↗ · All houses

Photo: Henri Manuel · CC0

Faces on the ledger

Creative director timeline

Who have been Balenciaga’s creative directors?

7 creative leads from 1917 to today. Titles are given as the house used them. Each row links its source. Checked 22 October 2026.

1917–1968

Cristóbal Balenciaga

Founder and couturier (Spain from 1917, Paris from 1937)

Kering — Pierpaolo Piccioli appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga (19 May 2025) ↗
1987–1992

Michel Goma

Creative director

FashionNetwork — French couturier Michel Goma dies (28 April 2022) ↗
1991–1997

Josephus Thimister

Designer of the luxury ready-to-wear lines

FashionNetwork — Former Balenciaga artistic director Josephus Thimister dies (14 November 2019) ↗
1997–2012

Nicolas Ghesquière

Creative director

Kering — Balenciaga and Nicolas Ghesquière end their partnership (5 November 2012) ↗
2012–2015

Alexander Wang

Creative director

Kering — Balenciaga and Alexander Wang decide not to renew their contract (31 July 2015) ↗
2015–2025

Demna

Artistic director

Kering — Balenciaga appoints Demna Gvasalia as artistic director (7 October 2015) ↗
2025–present

Pierpaolo PiccioliCurrent

Creative director

Kering — Pierpaolo Piccioli appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga (19 May 2025) ↗

Ledger

Which models have walked for Balenciaga?

The Cast Index ledger records 5 verified walks for Balenciaga, including Anok Yai, Vittoria Ceretti, Liu Wen, Gigi Hadid.

Opened Anok Yai

AW26 Couture
Paris Haute Couture Week
Source ↗
Closed Anok Yai

AW26 Couture
Paris Haute Couture Week
Source ↗
Walked Vittoria Ceretti

AW26 Couture
Paris Haute Couture Week
Source ↗
Walked Liu Wen

AW26 Couture
Paris Haute Couture Week
Source ↗
Walked Gigi Hadid

AW26 Couture
Paris Haute Couture Week
Source ↗

← Casting ledger · All houses · House tiers

Sources

Each of the 5 ledger walks above links its own published source. Identifiers: Wikidata · Wikipedia. Corrections: /corrections.

Balenciaga, answered

Who is the creative director of Balenciaga?: Pierpaolo Piccioli is Balenciaga’s creative director, a role announced in May 2025. Before: Demna (2015–2025). Checked 22 October 2026.
Who was the creative director of Balenciaga before Pierpaolo Piccioli?: Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeded Demna (artistic director, 2015–2025). The full timeline is on this page, with a source for each term.
Who have been Balenciaga’s creative directors?: In order: Cristóbal Balenciaga (founder, 1917–1968), Michel Goma (1987–1992), Josephus Thimister (1991–1997), Nicolas Ghesquière (1997–2012), Alexander Wang (2012–2015), Demna (2015–2025), Pierpaolo Piccioli (2025–present). Each entry in the timeline on this page links its source.
Which models have walked for Balenciaga?: The Cast Index ledger records 5 verified walks for Balenciaga, including Anok Yai, Vittoria Ceretti, Liu Wen, Gigi Hadid.