Balenciaga presents its Winter 2026 Collection, Clair Obscur, through a new campaign photographed by Robin Galiegue and starring Dara Gueye, Liu Wen and Anok Yai. The campaign introduces Pierpaolo Piccioli’s latest designs for the House through imagery built around light, shadow, volume and color.
AD CAMPAIGNS
Piccioli draws inspiration from the visual contrasts associated with High Renaissance art and applies that influence to Balenciaga’s established codes. The collection focuses on sharp construction, dramatic draping and sculptural proportions, with outerwear and bags taking a central role throughout the campaign.
Galiegue’s images explore the relationship between darkness and light while emphasizing the scale and form of the garments. Hooded jackets, peacoats and blousons feature high collars and rounded shoulders, creating silhouettes that frame and surround the body. Balenciaga works with leather, shearling, wool and paillette-embroidered satin silk across these pieces, giving each material a distinct presence within the collection.
Color plays an equally important role. Acid-bright shades appear among dark neutrals, introducing flashes of intensity across the Winter 2026 wardrobe. Gold B-shaped buckles add further points of light, while restrained jewelry accompanies the looks without competing with the clothes. These details connect directly to the collection’s Clair Obscur title and its reference to the artistic technique of using pronounced differences between illuminated and shadowed areas.
The campaign also places several accessories in focus. The Hourglass Avenue Bag develops the existing Hourglass line and references a silhouette closely associated with Balenciaga. Piccioli adjusts the familiar form for Winter 2026 while maintaining the curved structure that defines the bag family. The Le 7 Bowling Bag takes its name from Paris’s 7th arrondissement. Its construction uses layered volumes that create a soft, enveloping shape, extending the collection’s interest in proportion and architectural form into accessories.
The Bloom Pump and Midnight City Mule each use shaped lines and rounded forms to create their own distinct profiles. Their proportions continue the collection’s broader study of volume.
Across Clair Obscur, Piccioli approaches Balenciaga through a dialogue with the House’s established design language. He uses exaggerated collars, rounded shoulders, structured bags and carefully controlled draping to develop recognizable codes within the Winter 2026 collection. High Renaissance references provide the conceptual framework, while material, color and proportion give that idea a contemporary expression. The Balenciaga Winter 2026 Collection is available at selected Balenciaga stores worldwide and online.
