There’s a first time for everything, even for a fashion house with 109 years of history. Right after Pierpaolo Piccioli’s farewell, Balenciaga appointed Martine Rose as its first female creative director. The British-Jamaican designer now inherits a legacy that began with Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1917. It’s a heavy crown to bear, seeing as its former creative leaders include Nicolas Ghesquière and Demna.
Interestingly enough, this won’t be her first time working with Balenciaga. It’s safe to say that she’s come a long way.
She Was Going to Raves at Nine Years Old
Sunday mornings meant church with her grandmother. By the afternoon, however, nine-year-old Rose could be found dancing at an impromptu rave on Clapham Common in South London. Her older cousin Darren and his friends used to gather there after a night out, with music playing from car stereos and sound systems.
It was 1989, and Rose was already fascinated by the people she encountered. She watched her older relatives get dressed for evenings out and grew up surrounded by reggae and rave culture. Years later, those memories would remain an important influence on her designs.
She Started Her Label With a Collection of Shirts
By 2007, Rose’s collection of shirts marked the beginning of her namesake label in London. Her venture came with the responsibility of sustaining it herself, and to keep things going, she took additional jobs, including shifts at a members’ club in Soho.
She Helped Shape Balenciaga’s Menswear Under Demna
RELATED: Pierpaolo Piccioli Introduces His Balenciaga with Haute Couture F/W26
In 2015, Demna enlisted her as a menswear consultant. Their collaboration lasted until 2018, a period when exaggerated proportions became closely associated with the house, particularly in its oversized tailoringTailoringThe craft of cutting, shaping, and fitting garments, especially suits, jackets, and trousers, precisely to the body. Good tailoring relies on structure, proportion, and careful hand and machine work, andGo to Tailoring Glossary. Alongside her work on Balenciaga’s menswear, Rose continued running her independent label.
She Doesn’t Always Follow the Fashion Week Calendar
Everyone knows that Fashion Month has its official schedule, but Rose hasn’t always felt obliged to follow it. She’s presented collections on her own terms, sometimes skipping seasons or showing outside the industry’s designated dates.
Her S/S24 presentation, for example, took place in a North London community space in June 2023, outside the official London Fashion Week lineup. It wasn’t necessarily for the sake of being a rebel without a cause, either. In her earlier years, Rose simply couldn’t afford the expense of staging conventional runway shows.
She Won British Menswear Designer of the Year in 2023
Then, by December 2023, Rose had another achievement to celebrate. At The Fashion Awards in London, she received the British Menswear Designer of the Year award for her namesake label, with British rapper Little Simz presenting her with the honor. The recognition came sixteen years after she’d launched her business.
She Designed Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Jacket
If Kendrick Lamar’s 2025 Super Bowl halftime performance remains your favorite display of peak hater behavior, you might remember the red, white, and blue varsity jacket he wore. That was courtesy of Rose, too. Their creative partnership even predates that event, with the designer having contributed to the costumes for Lamar’s Big Steppers tour in 2022.
Balenciaga Is Hers to Lead
Few things are as satisfying as watching someone who has persevered finally receive the recognition they deserve. And in Rose’s case, there’s every reason to be hopeful about what comes next.
Photos: MARTINE ROSE (via Instagram)
Featured Image photographed by ANDREAS LARSSON
