Balenciaga Designer Pierpaolo Piccioli on Meghan Markle and Leaving Valentino

After the finale of the Balenciaga show, designer Pierpaolo Piccioli needed a therapy session. He had just shown his debut collection, which included a modern version of Cristobal Balenciaga’s famous 1957 Sack dress, as well as garments that evoked the looks of predecessors Nicolas Ghesquiere and Demna. There was a standing ovation, but that day he was looking for ‘the mistakes.’ “I’m still processing,” he said from the couture studio at the Balenciaga office in Paris. “I’m still overthinking. I’m still guessing — What if this or that? This is my process. I never stop thinking.” But that is what propels him toward the next collection. By “finding mistakes,” he means a place for growth. “That becomes the beginning point of the next season.”

Piccioli spent 25 years at Valentino, working with Valentino as well as Maria Grazia Chiuri, then for the last eight years on his own. We asked him why he left the brand after nearly three decades and what is next for Balenciaga.

The show opened with a heartbeat and Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good.” Why begin that way?
The heartbeat is something that is so personal — and, in a way, it’s what connects all of us but also defines each of us. For me, it was a symbol of a new dawn, not only for Balenciaga but for myself. It was such a heartful and human beginning. I’ve been thinking a lot about what Balenciaga is about, and I’ve always felt that Cristóbal, even Nicolas, even Demna, all carry something of the same essence. I wanted to embrace everyone who has been here before me because this is how you have to manage a house — with respect for its past and with heart for what comes next.

I processed all of them — Demna, Nicolas, Cristóbal — a lot, and then I reinterpreted everything through my own sensibility. What they all share, to me, is radicalism — the disruptiveness, the precision of gesture. And I felt that, in this moment, the radical act is to be human. The world feels so tough right now, and I think designing and thinking humanly is the most disruptive thing any of us can do. For me, that radicalism today is not about shocking shapes or exaggerated proportions. It’s about empathy in the way we design, lead, and connect.

You began the show with a modern take of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s 1957 Sack dress. What drew you to that piece?
The Sack dress is incredibly meaningful because it made Cristóbal so relevant, not only in fashion but in culture. In 1957, women were still wearing corseted gowns and tight jackets. Then came this dress — free, fluid, and completely misunderstood. When you watch old footage of women wearing it in the streets of Paris, you can feel how shocking it was. It was almost as if she were naked because she was so free, so in her body, so uncontained. For me, that was the point: The Sack dress freed women from the weight of social expectation. It made space for them to move, to exist. That message is still relevant today.

You had just a few months to deliver this debut collection.
I arrived in June, but I officially began after July, when Demna left. It was the first time two creative directors were working in the same house, and I found that fascinating: It was less about ego, more about evolution. So the idea of transformation itself became part of the passing of the torch — that’s what I wanted to feel. I didn’t come with 20 people to replace everyone — I wanted to change the culture, not the faces. We had to align quickly, to learn from one another. When everyone moves with the same energy, that’s when the magic appears.

Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, made a surprise appearance at her first Paris Fashion Week show, wearing two custom looks. How did that happen?
Meghan and I met some years ago, and we’ve been texting ever since. She reached out and said she’d love to come to the show. There was no strategy or big orchestration. I didn’t tell anyone she was coming because I wanted it to stay a surprise. In fashion, real surprises are rare, and this one was beautiful.

What was that moment like when you walked out to a standing ovation?
I worked until the very last second before the show; it’s how I manage my nerves. I was backstage talking to the girls, checking every look, encouraging them to deliver emotion. Then they said, “Go.” I walked out, saw everyone standing, and I was overwhelmed — it was a wave of love. I scanned the crowd for my wife, the first person I wanted to see, but I couldn’t find her in the packed room. It was deeply emotional, and I felt protected.

I think people feel very protective about you. Do you feel that?
I felt that. I felt lot of care, protection, love, which goes beyond job.

It goes beyond the job. No, but that’s my point is I think that people feel great love for you and great affection for you. And I think part of the reason why they feel that affection for you is they feel that, whether it’s true or not, that somehow things maybe didn’t end so well when you left your last job.

Yeah, probably. But life sometimes gets you and brings you exactly where you have to be, and you don’t know why and how these things happen. But that’s what happened actually. I feel exactly where I have to be. But going back to my Instagram, I saw that that was my very first Instagram post was a Cristóbal dress from 1967, which is actually my birth year. And that for me is a masterpiece. I feel that sometimes things just happen. That’s the way. It’s difficult as a decision to leave a place you love.

Everybody thought you were going to Fendi.

I know that, of course.

And…

It didn’t happen. And of course, as I said, there were many possibilities and which luckily I have to say, I found Balenciaga to be the perfect place for me, because of the heritage and also because of the people who are managing the brand.

You went to Getaria, Cristóbal Balenciaga’s birthplace, right after the announcement. What did that visit mean to you?
I wanted to feel what he felt — growing up in a small fishing village, surrounded by simplicity but dreaming beyond it. I come from a small town near Rome, so I understood that instinct: the desire to escape but the need to belong. You can only go far if you know where you come from. That sense of rootedness keeps you from getting lost.

Do you have a favorite look from the collection?
The Sack dress. It’s a meaningful piece. I kept asking myself if it was the right moment to revisit something so iconic, but it felt essential — Balenciaga is always about being rooted in reality. I wanted to reshape familiar wardrobe pieces — like chinos, a bomber, or a leather jacket—through the Balenciaga spirit: precise cut, lightness, and air.

The Sack dress carried all of that. It’s both austere and fluid, geometric yet soft around the body. The way it moves is what Balenciaga has always been about — lines that are severe in form but light in feeling, giving women freedom while still offering a sense of protection. And I also loved the pink — the softness of it. It felt architectural but gentle, like a balance between structure and grace. That softness, for me, is strength.

The collection had these sculptural silhouettes. What was the thinking behind that?
I didn’t want to imitate Cristóbal, I wanted to study his method. He shaped space rather than fabric. So I introduced air as a third element — between body and fabric. It creates a silhouette that’s structured but light, severe but free. It allows women to move, to exist inside the clothes instead of being confined by them.

One of the buzziest moments was pairing flip-flops with evening gowns. What was behind that contrast?
The person who actually asked me for those thong shoes was Donatella Versace. You would never imagine it, but she loved them.

For me, it was about giving freedom — to let beauty feel more rooted in reality. To make beauty modern, I needed to shift it closer to life, to what feels real. I wanted to melt couture and reality — to bring beauty back as something you can feel, not just admire. That’s why classical music was mixed with electronic beats. For me, couture isn’t just the evening gown — it’s a culture. So why not thongs at a gala? Why not softness and rebellion at once?

You took a year off between Valentino and Balenciaga, even traveling alone to India. What did that time teach you?
I had never stopped working before. I spent time with my family and friends, I surfed, and I read. But most of all, I learned to let go. I’ve always been very rational, very controlled. That year taught me to trust my instinct, to listen to the flow instead of overthinking. You only let go when you feel secure, and I finally did. That’s what led me here.