Balenciaga's new identity is beginning to take shape. In the first quarter of 2026, Pierpaolo Piccioli took his vision beyond the runway, using campaigns, collaborations and regional launches to put the wearer, community, and cultural connection at the centre of the luxury house's evolving direction.
The activity between 1 January and 31 March traced a route from Shanghai to Paris and Tokyo. A Lunar New Year campaign, an NBA collaboration, a new group of ambassadors and Friends of the House, Piccioli's second women's ready-to-wear collection and a Japan-exclusive Le City launch offered indications of how the designer is interpreting Balenciaga's established codes through contemporary culture and a more personal approach to luxury.
Piccioli Puts the Person at the Centre of Balenciaga
The quarter opened on 6 January with Balenciaga's New Year Series celebrating the Year of the Horse. Shot by John Yuyi in Shanghai, the campaign featured actors Ma Sichun, Yang Chaoyue and Chen Feiyu, alongside content creators JM and Tan Suan, connecting the house's seasonal offering with contemporary Chinese culture.
The approach became more explicit on 17 February, when Balenciaga unveiled its Heart and Body campaign, photographed by David Sims. The campaign introduced new Balenciaga ambassadors Harris Dickinson, Winona Ryder and Roh Yoonseo, alongside Friends of the House including Danielle Deadwyler, Havana Rose Liu, Labrinth, Hudson Williams, Mona Tougaard, Loli Bahia, Ned Sims and Sen Samysheva.
Piccioli made his approach to the casting clear, saying: 'I chose individuals, not characters.' He described a desire for real presence and distinct personalities, while establishing a community connected by values including respect, sensitivity, strength and freedom.
The campaign provided one of the clearest examples of the designer's emphasis on the individual. Rather than presenting the house solely through conventional fashion imagery, Balenciaga used people and their personalities as part of the story surrounding the clothes.
That emphasis on culture and everyday life was also visible in Balenciaga's collaboration with the National Basketball Association, launched on 15 January. The collection brought basketball references into ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories and small leather goods, while the number 10 referenced the house's historic Paris address.
Piccioli linked the collaboration to values associated with sport, including excellence, integrity and respect, highlighting its ability to connect people from different backgrounds through shared rules and goals.
From Sport to Heritage, a Broader Balenciaga Vocabulary
The quarter then returned to the runway on 7 March, when Piccioli presented his second women's ready-to-wear collection for the house, ClairObscur, in Paris. The collection explored contrasts between light and darkness while continuing the designer's focus on the relationship between clothing, the body and character.
The presentation also expanded Balenciaga's network of cultural and craft collaborations. Filmmaker Sam Levinson, creator of Euphoria, worked with Piccioli on the presentation, while French shoemaker J.M. Weston collaborated on footwear for the collection.
The collection also revisited established house references. The Hourglass Avenue, for example, features a curvilinear base and a closure engraved with 10 Avenue George V, linking the design to the house's Paris address.
From 25 March, the focus moved to Japan, where Balenciaga began its Le City pre-launch at Osaka's Hankyu Umeda main building and a pop-up at Tokyo's Isetan Shinjuku main building. The offering featured Japan-exclusive styles, including woven raffia versions and exclusive colourways of the established bag design.
From Shanghai's Lunar New Year imagery to the NBA court, a Paris runway and a Japan-exclusive launch, Balenciaga's Q1 activity shows the house extending its cultural vocabulary under Piccioli.
