British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose named Balenciaga creative director

British-Jamaican designer Martine Rose has been appointed creative director of Balenciaga, adding another major international fashion house to the growing list of luxury brands being led by Jamaican designers or designers of Jamaican descent.

The appointment, announced Friday by luxury group Kering and Balenciaga, takes effect on November 16. Rose will be based in Paris, France, where she will oversee the creative direction of the storied fashion house.

Her appointment places her among a notable group of Jamaican designers and designers with Jamaican heritage shaping the creative direction of some of the world's most prestigious fashion brands. They include Rachel Scott, founder and creative director of Diotima and creative director of Proenza Schouler; Maximilian Davis, creative director of Ferragamo; and Grace Wales Bonner, creative director of men's ready-to-wear at Hermès.

Rose succeeds Italian designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, whose departure from Balenciaga was announced on Thursday.

The appointment also marks a homecoming of sorts for Rose, who previously worked with the fashion house as a menswear consultant between 2015 and 2018, during Demna's tenure as creative director.

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