What Has Happened to Balenciaga? Recent Leadership Changes

Balenciaga is one of the best-known names in luxury fashion and has gone through notable changes in recent years. This summary is based on Wikipedia’s Balenciaga entry, so check the brand’s website for the latest news.

Brand history

Cristóbal Balenciaga opened his first boutique in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1917, and the house is dated to 1919. After the Spanish Civil War forced him to close his Spanish stores, the Paris house opened on Avenue George V in August 1937.

Ownership

Balenciaga has been owned by Kering since 2001, when the group, then called PPR, acquired a controlling stake. The Pinault family controls Kering. The house is headquartered in Paris.

Recent leadership

• Demna Gvasalia was creative director from 2015 to 2025.
• Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeded him as creative director in July 2025.
• Gianfranco Gianangeli became CEO in November 2024.

What it means for shoppers

Creative-director changes often shift a house’s design direction, so expect new collections to look different from the Demna era. Always buy from authorised retailers to avoid counterfeits.

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