Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli named creative director at fashion house Balenciaga
Italian fashion designer Pierpaolo Piccioli will present his first collection in October. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS - Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli has been named creative director at fashion house Balenciaga, taking over from Georgian designer Demna, parent company Kering said on May 19.
Piccioli, who previously worked at Valentino, will present his first collection in October, after Demna left for Gucci, said the French conglomerate, which owns both Balenciaga and Gucci.
Piccioli's 'mastery of haute couture, creative voice and passion for craft make him an ideal choice' to take over Paris-based Balenciaga, following on Demna's 'audacious and distinctive vision', Kering deputy chief executive Francesca Bellettini said in a statement.
Piccioli, 57, left Valentino in 2024, after 25 years as creative director at the Italian luxury brand.
He said wants to 'add a new chapter' to Balenciaga's history.
Demna's departure was announced in March, after a series of daring but sometimes controversial designs.
The 44-year-old's hits included looks for American rapper Cardi B and a headline-grabbing head-to-toe black outfit for American reality TV star Kim Kardashian at the Met Gala in 2021.
His misses included an ad campaign the following year that featured children clutching teddy bear bags with studs and harnesses, which was criticised for looking like bondage gear.
Demna apologised profusely in the pages of fashion magazine Vogue, denying any intention to reference child abuse.
He took over Gucci as Kering seeks to turn around the Italian fashion brand, which has been suffering from lacklustre sales. AFP
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
AsiaOne
5 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Daily roundup: McDonald's and Tokidoki to release limited-edition collectible charms from June 12 — and other top stories today, World News
Stay in the know with a recap of our top stories today. 1. McDonald's and Tokidoki to release limited-edition collectible charms from June 12 After releasing a series of blindboxes with popular video game Minecraft back in March, McDonald's Singapore has announced another collaboration - this time with Italian lifestyle brand Tokidoki to release a series of limited-edition collectible charms... » READ MORE 2. Bus swayed uncontrollably and was speeding: Survivors of crash which killed 15 students in Malaysia describe terrifying moments Several university students who survived a deadly bus accident which killed 15 of their schoolmates have claimed the vehicle was speeding before it crashed in Gerik, Perak, after midnight on June 9... » READ MORE 3. RM and V discharged from military service, Hybe headquarters decorated for BTS' return June is an exciting month for K-pop boy band BTS — evident from the fanfare around RM and V's return as well as the decor on Hybe's headquarters... » READ MORE 4. This 'officer' never sleeps: Geylang Serai market carpark to have digital sentry to keep watch on errant motorists A new enforcement 'officer' will be deployed at the carpark next to Geylang Serai Hawker Centre and Market to keep watch on errant motorists... » READ MORE editor@
Business Times
6 hours ago
- Business Times
The Day of The Jackal author Frederick Forsyth dies, aged 86
[LONDON] Prolific British thriller writer Frederick Forsyth, who instantly became a global bestselling author when his book The Day of the Jackal was published in 1971, died on Monday (Jun 9) aged 86, his literary agents Curtis Brown said. Forsyth famously penned his most famous work about a fictional assassination attempt on French president Charles de Gaulle by right-wing extremists in just 35 days after falling on hard times. It went on to be made into a hit film starring Edward Fox as the assassin. A TV series with Eddie Redmayne in the lead role was released last year. 'We mourn the passing of one of the world's greatest thriller writers,' his agent Jonathan Lloyd said. Forsyth died at home surrounded by his family following a brief illness, according to Curtis Brown. Divorced from Carole Cunningham in 1988, he married Sandy Molloy in 1994. He had two sons, Stuart and Shane, with his first wife. His second wife died last year. The former journalist and pilot wrote over 25 books including The Odessa File (1972) and The Dogs of War (1974) and sold over 75 million copies worldwide. Many of his novels were also turned into films. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up 'Only a few weeks ago I sat with him as we watched a new and moving documentary of his life ... and was reminded of an extraordinary life, well lived,' said Lloyd. A sequel to The Odessa File, entitled Revenge Of Odessa, on which he worked with thriller writer Tony Kent, is due to be published in August, his publisher Bill Scott-Kerr said. 'His journalistic background brought a rigour and a metronomic efficiency to his working practice and his nose for and understanding of a great story kept his novels both thrillingly contemporary and fresh,' Scott-Kerr added. Forsyth attributed much of his success to 'luck', recalling how a bullet narrowly missed him while he was covering the bloody Biafra civil war between 1967 and 1970. 'I have had the most spectacular luck all through my life,' he told The Times last November in an interview. 'Right place, right time, right person, right contact, right promotion – and even just turning my head away when that bullet went past,' he said. Asked why he had decided to give up writing – although he later went back to it – he told AFP in 2016 he'd 'run out of things to say'. 'I can't just sit at home and do a nice little romance from within my study, I have to go out and check out places like Modagishu, Guinea Bissau, both hellholes in different ways,' he said. 'I never intended to be a writer at all,' Forsyth wrote in his memoir, The Outsider - My Life in Intrigue. 'After all, writers are odd creatures, and if they try to make a living at it, even more so.' So influential was the novel that Venezuelan militant revolutionary Illich Ramirez Sanchez, was dubbed 'Carlos the Jackal'. Forsyth presented himself as a cross between Ernest Hemingway and John le Carre – both action man and Cold War spy – but delighted in turning around the insult that he was a literary lightweight. 'I am lightweight but popular. My books sell,' he once said. He was, to the end, a reporter who wrote novels. 'In a world that increasingly obsesses over the gods of power, money and fame, a journalist and a writer must remain detached,' he wrote. 'It is our job to hold power to account.' AFP, REUTERS
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
Beijing woos US influencers with free trip to show ‘real China'
China seeks to enlist young social media influencers from the US to collaborate with its local content creators. PHOTO: AFP China is inviting American influencers to join a 10-day, all-expense paid trip through the country in July , as part of Beijing's efforts to boost people-to-people exchanges and showcase the 'real China'. The initiative, titled 'China-Global Youth Influencer Exchange Programme', seeks to enlist young social media influencers with at least 300,000 followers to collaborate with Chinese content creators, according to recruitment posts by Chinese state-affiliated media outlets, including the China Youth Daily. While relations between China and the US have deteriorated in recent months over issues including geopolitics, technology and trade, the programme marks an effort to boost cultural exchanges. In 2024 , President Xi Jinping had called for more exchanges between Chinese and American universities, after previously announcing a plan to welcome 50,000 American students to China. Another post in College Daily, a publication particularly targeting Chinese students in North America, specified that applicants for the exchange programme based in the US should be active on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X, and should 'love Chinese culture' and 'have no history of bad behaviours'. It called on Chinese students overseas to encourage influencers in their circle to apply, and said the successful candidates will get China's official invite as well as special assistance from the state to process their visas. The trip intends to take the participants across five Chinese cities – Suzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Handan and Beijing, and will cover China's e-commerce hubs, the headquarter of companies such as Xiaohongshu Technology Co and BYD Co. The influencers will also partake in cultural activities such as Taichi and be able to live-stream their trip to the Great Wall, according to the posts. Working with Chinese social media influencers on ideas, and getting their content promoted by China's state media will be part of the deal. Social media content from Western influencers travelling through China post-Covid-19 have won praise from the state media for their authentic portrayal of everyday life in the country. In April, American streamer IShowSpeed's visit to China sparked widespread curiosity among fans about advancements in Chinese technology. The authorities have tapped social media influencers to check negative information and promote positive contents. In 2023, think-tank Australian Strategic Policy Institute analysed over 120 foreign influencers, mostly active on Chinese social media, received the state's help to grow their influence in return for content that praises and spreads Beijing's narrative. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
