After departing his role at Valentino back in March 2024, Pierpaolo Piccioli finally has a new job: creative director of Balenciaga.

The French maison and Italian designer announced the news today (May 19) via a joint post on Instagram. “Kering and Balenciaga are pleased to announce the appointment of Pierpaolo Piccioli as creative director of Balenciaga, effective July 10,” read the announcement.

“An accomplished and respected designer, and master of haute couture, Pierpaolo will bring his unique creative vision and extensive experience to Balenciaga,” it continued, “building on the strengths and success achieved by the brand over the past decade under Demna’s creative direction, and in continuity with the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga.”

In the same statement, Piccioli expressed his excitement at bagging one of the top jobs in fashion. “Balenciaga has never lost track of the house’s aesthetic values,” he said. “What I am receiving is a brand full of possibilities that is incredibly fascinating.” Elsewhere, he also thanked former creative director Demna, whose defection to the Kering-owned Gucci in March shocked the fashion world. “I must first and foremost thank Demna; I’ve always admired his vision. I couldn’t ask for a better passing of the torch,” read the statement.

Before his appointment as Balenciaga boss, Piccioli was famously creative director at Valentino, firstly alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri from 2008 to 2016, then solo from 2016 to 2024, after Chiuri left the brand for Dior. The designer’s many hits at Valentino include the AW22 show, where he showed an entire collection in hot pink – soon dubbed PP Pink – which then became a viral and red carpet success. Elsewhere, Piccioli monogrammed models’ faces with the Valentino ‘V’ for SS23, offered dreamy storytelling via whimsical couture, and even had FKA twigs perform at the SS24 show.

Since his departure from Valentino, the Italian designer has been lying relatively low (bar one shopping spree in a Gucci store), but with this new role, he steps confidently back into the fray. “This gives me the chance to shape a new version of the maison, adding another chapter with a new story,” he said today. “I am grateful for the trust that François-Henri [Pinault], Francesca and Gianfranco are giving me. We were effortlessly on the same page from the start, and that is the best way to begin something new.”