Spring-summer 2026 Balenciaga runway show, Paris, October 4, 2025. BALENCIAGA
During a spring-summer 2026 fashion week marked by fresh developments, the weekend of October 4 and 5 reached a kind of climax. In Paris, three designers unveiled their debut shows: Pierpaolo Piccioli for Balenciaga, Glenn Martens for Maison Margiela and Duran Lantink for Jean Paul Gaultier.
At Balenciaga, Pierpaolo Piccioli succeeded Demna, one of the most talented designers of his generation, who transformed the house over a decade. Under Demna, Balenciaga became an extravagant creative laboratory, capable of producing both ball gowns and distressed jeans – collections always spiced up by his offbeat sensibility and a certain rawness. Commercially, under his direction, Balenciaga nearly shifted into a streetwear brand that, at the height of its popularity, sold massive quantities of oversized sneakers, subverted-logo T-shirts and distressed sweatshirts.
Balenciaga's leadership likely decided it was time to dial things back after a creative peak that at times felt out of control. In fact, Demna himself seemed to lose some steam in recent years. From this standpoint, Piccioli is a rational choice: The 58-year-old Italian proved himself at Valentino, where he spent 16 years, earning accolades for his elegant, broadly appealing designs, flattering cuts for all body types and bold colors that helped wearers stand out without going overboard.
