Pierpaolo Piccioli probably had one of the hardest jobs one could imagine: taking over the creative direction of Balenciaga after Demna’s radical shake-up of the House. Especially when redefining one of the most contentious fashion houses of recent years through your own calm and poetic savoir-faire takes time. Across his first collections, opinions have been divided, while the public reception has been shaped by a certain sense of confusion. Some might argue that the new Balenciaga is caught somewhere between Cristóbal’s legacy, Demna’s satirical approach to design and the romantic sensibility Piccioli honed during his years at Valentino, ultimately becoming a bit of everything and therefore, nothing. The new Spring/Summer 2027 collection reads as a personal exploration of what Balenciaga’s culture could mean today, framed, inevitably, by the couturier par excellence, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and by the man who once seemed determined to mock couture itself: Demna.
Perhaps finding a middle ground between two such extremes was never going to be easy. And yet, this collection turns that tension into its metaphorical starting point. Couture becomes not only a language, but a working methodology and, ultimately, an ideology. An attempt to shape a new mindset around what fashion-house creation can be today. With that task in mind, Pierpaolo builds a wardrobe around what might seem like the most familiar elements of prêt-à-porter: jeans, T-shirts, bombers, etc. He takes these everyday staples and reworks them through an obsessive study of cut and construction, gradually bridging the gap between ready-to-wear and the world of craftsmanship and haute couture. Throughout the collection, we can spot one of the new creative director’s clearest ambitions since arriving at the Maison: those glimpses of Cristóbal. This time, however, the references partially leave behind the glamour of the classic fifties and find their way into the conversations (and wardrobes) of a new generation of fashionistas.
We can also find this tension in the way the collection approaches bias cutting, transforming the language of instantly recognisable pieces such as evening dresses. Only this time, they are merged with more up-to-date staples: jeans, shirts and men’s suiting. Their authenticity lingers, but it is their bond with the body that is still evolving. The wardrobe of the new Balenciaga continues to echo Cristóbal’s belief in keeping the human figure as the centre of creation. The use of Calais lace and cutwork becomes a token of this new rapport with the body. It’s a notion that begins to unfold through the title, Les coraux de la liberté, suggesting Piccioli’s desire to approach the house as a living ecosystem, constantly shifting and evolving.
The title also points towards another core element of Piccioli’s creative language: colour. Here, it arrives with a twist, set against the all-white of the first looks on the runway, embodying the sense of evolution and contrast that runs throughout the collection. From there, all kinds of textures and volumes begin to emerge in deliberate gestures, adding depth and movement to the silhouettes and allowing the clothes to feel nearly alive against the body.
It wasn’t easy, but Pierpaolo finally gave us what we had been expecting since he arrived: his own voice within the Balenciaga parameters. What once seemed almost unbearable, a bridge between Cristóbal and Demna, classicism and humour, had suddenly become achievable. And perhaps the House knew exactly who could make those worlds collide. This time, however, Piccioli didn’t forget to shape the future while paying tribute to the past. His duty isn’t simply to preserve what came before, but to rewrite the codes of the new Balenciaga culture, carrying with him the traces of everything his predecessors brought into the house and turning them into a layer of his own signature.
