London-based British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose has been named creative director of Balenciaga, becoming the first woman to lead the French fashion house in its 109-year history. Rose will take charge on Nov. 16, returning to the brand with creative control over its collections and a mandate to shape its next chapter.

The appointment, announced Friday by Balenciaga’s parent company, Kering, places a designer known for drawing on London’s underground culture at the helm of one of fashion’s most influential luxury brands. Rose previously worked with Balenciaga as a menswear consultant from 2015 to 2018, during Demna’s tenure.

A historic appointment at Balenciaga

“Kering and Balenciaga are pleased to announce the appointment of Martine Rose as creative director, marking a new chapter in the House’s creative evolution,” the company said. Rose will be based in Paris, where she is expected to bring her distinctive perspective on contemporary culture to the brand’s creative direction.

Luca de Meo, Kering’s chief executive, described Rose as a natural fit for a house built on challenging fashion conventions. He said her connection with younger generations and instinctive understanding of culture would give Balenciaga a new dimension as it seeks to remain influential in luxury fashion.

“Balenciaga has always been a House of radical creativity, challenging conventions and redefining the boundaries of fashion,” de Meo said. “Martine Rose embodies this spirit with a fresh, fearless and deeply contemporary vision.”

Rose takes over creative control

Gianfranco Gianangeli, Balenciaga’s president and chief executive, praised Rose’s ability to reshape familiar silhouettes and challenge established ideas about fashion. He said her approach aligned with the house’s history of experimentation and innovation, adding that the company looked forward to the next chapter under her leadership.

Rose, 45, founded her eponymous label in 2007 and has built a reputation for collections influenced by music, subcultures, identity and the social codes of dress. She succeeds Pierpaolo Piccioli, who left the role on Thursday after three seasons, giving Rose responsibility for the house’s overall creative direction.

“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. She added that she intended to respect the legacy established by the designers who came before her while developing the brand’s next chapter.

From London subculture to luxury

Rose’s work has challenged conventional ideas about masculinity, proportion and the way people dress. Her collections draw heavily on London’s diverse creative communities, bringing elements of streetwear, music and everyday clothing into a fashion language that has earned her recognition beyond the independent design scene.

Her runway shows have become an extension of that approach, with unconventional venues, distinctive casting and a broader representation of beauty. Through her designs, Rose has reworked familiar clothing archetypes while examining gender, character and identity, establishing a position between underground culture and the international fashion establishment.

Beyond her own label, Rose has worked with prominent artists and global brands as a creative collaborator and consultant. Her earlier relationship with Balenciaga gives her familiarity with the house, although her new position marks a significant expansion of that involvement, placing the entire creative operation under her direction.

A house with a century-long legacy

Founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1917, the fashion house established its Paris headquarters in 1937. Its founder became known for innovations in couture construction, form and technique, helping shape modern fashion and establishing a legacy that successive creative directors have interpreted in different ways.

Kering acquired Balenciaga in 2001. The French luxury group, controlled by the Pinault family, owns a portfolio of fashion and luxury brands, with Balenciaga among its most prominent labels. The house now operates across women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, couture, accessories, fragrance and art objects.

Rose’s appointment gives Balenciaga a creative leader whose work has been shaped by a different set of cultural references from those traditionally associated with Parisian couture. Her challenge will be to bring that perspective to a global luxury business while preserving the experimental spirit that has defined the house since its founding.