# Balenciaga: creative directors and runway casting

> 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.

- Canonical: https://thecastindex.com/houses/balenciaga
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- Author: Kaiser Khan (Founder & Editor)
- Based in: Paris, France
- House tier (methodology Appendix A): A
- Identifiers: [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1530892) · [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balenciaga)
- Creative-director record checked: 22 October 2026

## 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.

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](https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/saint-laurent-designer-vaccarello-hints-at-change/2026092990621))

Previously: Demna (2015–2025).

## 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.

| Years | Name | Role | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1917–1968 | Cristóbal Balenciaga | Founder and couturier (Spain from 1917, Paris from 1937) | [Kering — Pierpaolo Piccioli appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga (19 May 2025)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/pierpaolo-piccioli-appointed-creative-director-of-balenciaga/) |
| 1987–1992 | Michel Goma | Creative director | [FashionNetwork — French couturier Michel Goma dies (28 April 2022)](https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/French-couturier-michel-goma-dies,1400939.html) |
| 1991–1997 | Josephus Thimister | Designer of the luxury ready-to-wear lines | [FashionNetwork — Former Balenciaga artistic director Josephus Thimister dies (14 November 2019)](https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Former-balenciaga-artistic-director-josephus-thimister-dies,1157985.html) |
| 1997–2012 | Nicolas Ghesquière | Creative director | [Kering — Balenciaga and Nicolas Ghesquière end their partnership (5 November 2012)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/balenciaga-fashion-house-nicolas-ghesquiere-announce-their-joint-decision-end-their-partnership/) |
| 2012–2015 | Alexander Wang | Creative director | [Kering — Balenciaga and Alexander Wang decide not to renew their contract (31 July 2015)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/balenciaga-alexander-wang-announce-their-joint-decision-not-renew-their-contract/) |
| 2015–2025 | Demna | Artistic director | [Kering — Balenciaga appoints Demna Gvasalia as artistic director (7 October 2015)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/balenciaga-appoints-demna-gvasalia-as-artistic-director-collections/) |
| 2025–present (current) | Pierpaolo Piccioli | Creative director | [Kering — Pierpaolo Piccioli appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga (19 May 2025)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/pierpaolo-piccioli-appointed-creative-director-of-balenciaga/) |

## 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.

| Season | Role | Model | Show | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| AW26 Couture | Opened | [Anok Yai](https://thecastindex.com/models/anok-yai) | [Paris Haute Couture Week AW26](https://thecastindex.com/events/paris-haute-couture-week-2026) | [source](https://models.com/models/anok-yai) |
| AW26 Couture | Closed | [Anok Yai](https://thecastindex.com/models/anok-yai) | [Paris Haute Couture Week AW26](https://thecastindex.com/events/paris-haute-couture-week-2026) | [source](https://models.com/models/anok-yai) |
| AW26 Couture | Walked | [Vittoria Ceretti](https://thecastindex.com/models/vittoria-ceretti) | [Paris Haute Couture Week AW26](https://thecastindex.com/events/paris-haute-couture-week-2026) | [source](https://models.com/models/vittoria-ceretti) |
| AW26 Couture | Walked | [Liu Wen](https://thecastindex.com/models/liu-wen) | [Paris Haute Couture Week AW26](https://thecastindex.com/events/paris-haute-couture-week-2026) | [source](https://models.com/models/liu-wen) |
| AW26 Couture | Walked | [Gigi Hadid](https://thecastindex.com/models/gigi-hadid) | [Paris Haute Couture Week AW26](https://thecastindex.com/events/paris-haute-couture-week-2026) | [source](https://models.com/models/gigi-hadid) |

## Common questions

### 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.

## Sources

- [Kering — Pierpaolo Piccioli appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga (19 May 2025)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/pierpaolo-piccioli-appointed-creative-director-of-balenciaga/)
- [FashionUnited / AFP — Saint Laurent designer Vaccarello hints at change (29 September 2026)](https://fashionunited.uk/news/fashion/saint-laurent-designer-vaccarello-hints-at-change/2026092990621)
- [FashionNetwork — French couturier Michel Goma dies (28 April 2022)](https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/French-couturier-michel-goma-dies,1400939.html)
- [FashionNetwork — Former Balenciaga artistic director Josephus Thimister dies (14 November 2019)](https://us.fashionnetwork.com/news/Former-balenciaga-artistic-director-josephus-thimister-dies,1157985.html)
- [Kering — Balenciaga and Nicolas Ghesquière end their partnership (5 November 2012)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/balenciaga-fashion-house-nicolas-ghesquiere-announce-their-joint-decision-end-their-partnership/)
- [Kering — Balenciaga and Alexander Wang decide not to renew their contract (31 July 2015)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/balenciaga-alexander-wang-announce-their-joint-decision-not-renew-their-contract/)
- [Kering — Balenciaga appoints Demna Gvasalia as artistic director (7 October 2015)](https://www.kering.com/en/news/balenciaga-appoints-demna-gvasalia-as-artistic-director-collections/)

Each ledger walk links its own published source. Walks are recorded only when a source names the model, the house and the show; the ledger is incomplete by design.

Cite as: The Cast Index, "Balenciaga", https://thecastindex.com/houses/balenciaga.