At last, the news has officially broken: Martine Rose has been appointed to the helm of Balenciaga. While expectations of the announcement have been brewing for the past few months, it’s one that has been met with pretty much ubiquitous celebration.
That’s not to dismiss the achievements of her predecessor, Pierpaolo Piccioli, whose tenure was marked by a sculptural, romantic flair and a rich sense for color and textural play. Still, the warmth expressed for the British designer’s appointment is uniquely multifaceted. There’s its representational significance, as she joins a growing coterie of women of color at the helm of fashion’s most influential houses, but beyond that—and arguably more importantly—is her skill as a designer, and its capacity to shape the fashion conversation at large.
That’s something she’s more than proved at her namesake label, where her tweaked-and-twisted, often quietly kinky riffs on the everyday dress codes she observes in her native London have been key in bridging the gap between the realms of streetwear and high fashion over the past decade. There is also, as anyone versed in their menswear lore will know, the fact that Rose’s big break arguably came at Balenciaga, where she played an instrumental role in shaping the aesthetic of the house, working alongside Demna during the early, agenda-setting years of his tenure. And then, as we’ve come to know over the years, there’s Martine Rose herself: one of the sharpest and funniest voices the industry has in its midst.
You don’t have to look far for proof of just how widely her influence has spread. Though often framed as something of a fashion insider’s favorite, Rose has an equally devoted A-list following. Rihanna is regularly spotted in her designs, while Kendrick Lamar has all but appointed her his de facto dresser for some of the biggest moments of his career, wearing custom Rose looks to collect his Best Rap Album Grammy in 2023 and for his critically acclaimed 2025 Super Bowl half-time performance.
Below, revisit the moments your favorite celebrities repped one of fashion’s favorite designers.
