So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen. After a decade as creative director of Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia is leaving the brand. Fans of his work need not fret—he is taking over as creative director of Gucci. Both brands are owned by the luxury conglomerate Kering, which also owns Bottega Veneta, Alexander McQueen, and Brioni.
Gvasalia recently took his final bow for Balenciaga with the brand’s Fall 2025 couture collection, but one of the last ready-to-wear collections that will hit stores from him is Fall 2025. Naturally, he had to go out with a bang. For the final fall campaign he will ever oversee, Balenciaga Fall 2025 was shot by legendary fashion photographer Juergen Teller, who reimagined his photo project The Clients, where he captured haute couture clientele.
Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
As it was Gvasalia’s last campaign, he had to go out with a bang. The stars of the ads include Nicole Kidman (who has been a brand ambassador for Balenciaga since 2023), Patrick Schwarzenegger—whose career has exploded since The White Lotus—French actress Isabelle Huppert, supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Liu Wen, and Adut Akech, Chinese actor and model Arthur Chen, and top newcomer model Roxane Plaza.
It was an interesting choice on Balenciaga’s part to bridge the gap between veteran Hollywood and new Hollywood by casting Nicole Kidman and Patrick Schwarzenegger. They also bridged the gap between several generations of supermodels, from the old vanguard of Schiffer to rising star Roxane Plaza. Although Demna spent the majority of his time at Balenciaga becoming famous for his gimmick designs—ranging from dirty, destroyed sneakers to handbags in the shape of trash bags—his final ready-to-wear collection for Balenciaga erred on the side of minimalism.
Kidman is seen posing on a bed in a sparkling lace dress, while Schwarzenegger dons a classic tailored black suit with a white shirt and skinny tie. Huppert evokes minimalist rich-mom style in an all-black ensemble, including a coat, turtleneck dress, and oversized handbag. There are a few moments in the campaign that do get more maximalist, though not bordering on gimmick.
Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Huppert also poses in a fur coat, Akech wears a giant red fur belted gown, and Wen wears a bright hot pink Barbiecore dress.
Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
On top of that, the campaign also features pieces from the Balenciaga x Puma collaboration.
Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga. Arthur Chen wears a Balenciaga x Puma tracksuit, paired with the brand’s oversized knee-length boots.
As the collection is now rolling out in stores, it’s a fitting and more classic end to a Balenciaga better known for its headline-shocking designs—from caution-tape dresses to the equivalent of IKEA bags. The more traditional high-fashion approach and minimalism leave a cleaner slate, as Balenciaga has named Pierpaolo Piccioli, former creative director of Valentino, as the brand’s new creative director. Piccioli is expected to bring back the opulent glamour that the brand’s founder, Cristóbal Balenciaga, created—while making it modern.
As for Gvasalia, it was a farewell that was one-third quiet luxury, one-third sportswear, and one-third maximalism. Now, the fashion industry waits to see what Gvasalia will bring to Gucci in his debut collection this September.
