Creative director, Balenciaga (until November 2026)
Pierpaolo Piccioli
Italian, born 1967
Raised in Nettuno near Rome, Pierpaolo Piccioli studied at the Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome. He designed accessories at Fendi with Maria Grazia Chiuri, and the two moved to Valentino in 1999. They were co-creative directors from 2008, and he was sole creative director from 2016 to 2024. He is known for couture and strong colour. He was creative director of Balenciaga from July 2025 to November 2026.
Houses
Their runway, measured
154 looks in 2 showsNext to every runway we track, Pierpaolo Piccioli's looks are darker, more saturated, warmer and more tonal.
Colours
- Black · 1.6× the average38%
- Ivory / cream · 1.9× the average11%
- Chocolate brown · 1.8× the average10%
- Charcoal6%
- Beige / camel6%
- Burgundy / oxblood · 1.5× the average4%
- Red · 1.5× the average3%
- Grey2%
Share of garment area across their looks; × is against every runway.
Colour and surface
- Lightness33/100darker · all runways 39/100
- Colour saturation15.2more saturated · all runways 12.6
- Neutrals57%about average · all runways 60%
- Warm hues85%warmer · all runways 70%
- Tonal looks55%more tonal · all runways 33%
- Colour-blockingΔE 26less colour-blocked · all runways ΔE 35
- Surface texture2.69smoother · all runways 5.06
- Sheen0.041more matte · all runways 0.065
What sets them apart
Shapes, fabrics and details they use far more often than other designers, with a glimpse of the looks: one from each collection that wore it most.
- Flip-flops / thongs5.4×Footwear
In 1 of their 2 collections
- Cocoon3.9×Silhouette
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Overcoat3.6×Garment
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Oversized collar3.5×Detail
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Bomber3.0×Garment
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Powerful2.9×Mood
In 2 of their 2 collections
- 1980s2.7×Era reference
In 2 of their 2 collections
- Sandals2.7×Footwear
In 2 of their 2 collections
Silhouettes
- Oversized 58%2.0×
- Inverted triangle / strong shoulder 34%1.8×
- Straight / tubular 32%
- Column 26%
- Sculptural / architectural 19%1.9×
Materials
- Wool / tailoring cloth 42%1.4×
- Cotton / poplin 27%
- Jersey 21%1.4×
- Leather 18%1.8×
- Knit 15%
Details
- Oversized collar 40%3.5×
- Shoulder emphasis 38%2.1×
- Padding / sculpted volume 28%2.0×
- Gathering 21%1.5×
- Utility pockets 18%
Patterns
- Ombre / gradient 4%1.8×
- Photographic print 4%3.7×
- Colour-block 3%41% less
- Floral 3%70% less
- Check / plaid 2%64% less
Mood
- Powerful 44%2.9×
- Dramatic 36%2.7×
- Elegant 35%
- Edgy 33%2.1×
- Austere 32%1.6×
Era references
- 1980s 16%2.7×
- 1990s 13%1.7×
- 1970s 8%30% less
- 1960s 3%
- 2000s / y2k 1%35% less
From the AI tags on 154 of their looks. A designer is credited with a house's shows while they lead it; ×: how much more often than across all 25,892 measured looks.
Collection by collection
How their colours, surfaces and signatures moved from show to show, oldest firstHover a collection to read it; click its colours to open it.
Among designers
Pierpaolo Piccioli against the 190 other designers with at least 40 measured looks · each dot is a designer, click one to open themMost alike, on every colour and surface measureCorrada Rodriguez d'Acri · Anne Sofie Madsen · Daniella Kallmeyer · Maximilian Davis
