Martine Rose Is Balenciaga’s New Creative Director

Martine Rose is Balenciaga's new creative director. The London-based designer will start on November 16, taking over the French-Spanish label from Pierpaolo Piccioli, whose departure was announced yesterday after three seasons at the house.It's the first time Martine Rose has taken charge of a major fashion house, but it isn't her first Balenciaga gig. She worked as a menswear consultant under Demna from 2015 to 2018, helping shape the oversized proportions and left-field clothes that defined his early years at the brand. Now she's returning with control of the whole enterprise.“It is a true privilege to be appointed creative director of Balenciaga, a house with an extraordinary heritage and a fearless creative spirit,” Rose said in a statement. “Balenciaga has been shaped by remarkable creative talents before me. I am committed to honoring this legacy and look forward to creating the next chapter in this rich and beautiful story.”Martine Rose in 2023. Dave Benett/Getty ImagesRose founded her eponymous label in 2007 and has built it into one of the most influential brands in British fashion. Her collections pull from soccer and nightlife club culture, music, and the everyday wardrobes of London dwellers: suits get stretched out or squeezed in, tracksuits become tailoring, loafers turn into mules. It's menswear, on her terms.Through her career, Rose has collaborated with Nike, Clarks, Supreme, Stüssy, and Tommy Hilfiger, and her clothes have been worn by everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Lewis Hamilton to Timothée Chalamet. But despite her idiosyncratic influence over what menswear looks like now, Rose has yet to have worked the top job at a house of Balenciaga's size. Her appointment makes her the first woman to lead the brand in its 109-year history. Her appointment makes her the first woman to lead the brand in its 109-year history.“Martine Rose embodies this spirit with a fresh, fearless and deeply contemporary vision,” said Kering CEO Luca de Meo. “Her connection to the new generation and her instinctive understanding of culture bring a new dimension to the house.”It's a big appointment, and one fashion people have wanted for a long time. Rumors that Rose had signed with Balenciaga have been swirling for weeks, but now it's official. The house hasn't yet said when her first collection will arrive, but whenever it does, we'll all be watching.A version of this story originally appeared in British GQ.