Balenciaga made international headlines with its most anticipated move of the season: the unveiling of an exclusive collaboration under the creative vision of Pierpaolo Piccioli, with Anne Hathaway cast as the face of the inaugural campaign. Held at the iconic Kering headquarters in Paris, home to some of luxury’s most storied launches, the show drew an elite crowd including Meghan Markle, Tracee Ellis Ross, and a sea of global editors and stars.
‘The heartbeat is the rhythm we share, the pulse that reminds us we are human,” he wrote in a letter released just prior to the show, which took place yesterday evening. ‘For every heartbeat there is a name, a moment, a gesture. This collection comes from that place of love and connection. It is as much mine as it is of those who lived it with me-in every way. Perhaps with a different pulse, but always with the…
same soul.’ Anne Hathaway: The Campaign’s New Face Anne Hathaway, a longtime muse for both Piccioli and the global style set, took center stage, embodying the campaign’s balance of romance and defiant modernity.
Debuting in a dramatic, sculptural black dress (an homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s 1957 “sack” silhouette), Hathaway anchored a visual story that is equal parts couture heritage and contemporary power-play.
Critics praised the synergy between the actress and the new collection, with Hathaway’s gothic elegance and sophisticated resonance setting the tone for Piccioli’s Balenciaga. Anne Hathaway makes a stunning appearance at Pierpaolo Piccioli’s debut show for Balenciaga’s Summer 26 collection.
Piccioli’s Vision: Romance, Reinvention, and Radical Humanity Pierpaolo Piccioli—acclaimed for his eight-year tenure as sole creative director at Valentino—made his Balenciaga debut in July 2025, signaling a shift back to elegant roots and a new chapter for the iconic house…
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