Storied fashion house Balenciaga’s launches their first campaign with Pierpaolo Piccioli
Fresh off a wildly successful runway show debut in October, Balenciaga’s newly anointed creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, has cemented his place in fashion history with the unveiling of his first Balenciaga campaign. Ushering in a softer, more relaxed era for the 106-year-old Spanish fashion house, the now-Paris-based brand’s still and moving imagery was shot by famed photographer, David Sims, who has often collaborated with Piccioli over the years to help bring the Italian designer’s intimate vision to life.
“For my first campaign for the house, I wanted to create something that felt truly personal and could tell a story of effortless beauty and delicate humanity,” Piccioli said. “Working with my dear friend and artist David Sims made it even more special.”
The New Chapter
The gorgeous new campaign features renowned models Mona Tougaard and Sandra Murray. One image features a sun-kissed Tougaard laying on a delicately disheveled bed while clad in a crop top and Bermuda shorts from the spring 2026 collection. Tougaard and Murray bring a feminine, authentic touch to each piece they wear while oozing Parisian sensuality and strength against a backdrop of 17th-century Grand Siècle’s art and literature-inspired architecture.
Piccioli’s choice of location for the campaign proved equally thoughtful. Photographed at Paris’s dazzling Hôtel de Maisons – Pozzo di Borgo, a historic urban mansion not far from the Musée d’Orsay in the heart of Paris’s charming Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin neighborhood – the venue has as much history as the fashion label itself. The grand-yet-intimate setting sets the tone for a collection that personifies a sense of quiet strength.
“Together, we captured Mona and Sandra as they are – spontaneous, real, soft yet strong – a reflection of the new Balenciaga woman and the beginning of a chapter that feels deeply meaningful to me.”
“Together, we captured Mona and Sandra as they are – spontaneous, real, soft yet strong – a reflection of the new Balenciaga woman and the beginning of a chapter that feels deeply meaningful to me.”
— Pierpaolo Piccioli
Two iconically familiar pieces – the Le City bag and the Rodeo bag – cameo in the new campaign as symbols of past preservation and Balenciaga’s ongoing “It bag” status. While the Rodeo is known for its urban effortlessness, the Le City bag represents a beloved era of the brand’s early aught history and cultural impact in the zeitgeist. The Le City bag – famously introduced in 2001 by Balenciaga’s previous creative director, Nicolas Ghesquière, reflects the house’s long-adored utilitarian aesthetic. The inclusion of both bags proves great design stands the test of the time while accessorizing Piccioli’s fresh take on the label’s personal, delicate and effortless approach to beauty.
The new collection, and its corresponding campaign, embrace the complexities that co-exist between youth versus wisdom and freedom versus refinement while still capturing the fashion house’s exquisite savoir-faire, the spirit of Paris, and the house’s belief that the modern woman is both a muse and mirror.
Piccioli’s debut campaign follows his well-received and widely celebrated runway show on Paris’ rue de Sèvres earlier this month, at Paris Fashion Week. The show was attended by Meghan Markle, Tracee Ellis Ross, Anne Hathaway, Rachel Sennott, Stellan Skarsgard, Baz Luhrmann, Shailene Woodley, FKA Twigs and Simone Ashley, signaling a fresh-faced changing of the guard.
As echoed in Balenciaga’s new campaign imagery, Piccioli’s debut collection pulled inspiration from 17th-century Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán, who was also reportedly an influence for the house’s founder Cristóbal Balenciaga. Naturally, Piccioli has also acknowledged he’s a longtime fan of the label’s founder and Cristóbal Balenciaga’s use of sculptural silhouettes – further proving why Piccioli is the perfect successor for the iconic brand.
Having succeeded Demna, Balenciaga’s last creative director, Piccioli has said his personal vision for Balenciaga is to pay homage to those who came before him while reinvigorating the brand with his own unique take and interpretation.
This was reflected during the runway show for his debut collection as Piccioli pulled additional design inspiration from a trip he took to Balenciaga’s hometown of Getaria, Spain, where the label’s founder was born in 1895. This translated to a penchant for softness, which can be seen in everything from Piccioli’s silhouettes to his use of delicate fabrics.
As seen on the runway and in Piccioli’s first Balenciaga campaign, the maison’s modern, fluid, wearable pieces offer a powerful yet feminine touch – allowing its wearer to enjoy intimate and authentic moments whenever solo or with lovers, friends and family. Here’s to following the new Balenciaga journey and to seeing how Piccioli dazzles and delights next with his future collections and campaigns.
"A fresh-faced changing of the guard."
