Balenciaga releases Heart and Body, a new campaign photographed by David Sims. The project introduces the first brand ambassadors and Friends of the House appointed under Pierpaolo Piccioli’s creative direction and frames his debut collections for the Maison: Summer 26, The Heartbeat, and Fall 26, Body and Being.
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“I chose individuals, not characters,” Piccioli states. “Human beings with distinct stories, faces marked by experience, vulnerability, and nuance. I was not looking for constructed personas, but for real presence.” At the core of Summer 26 lies the idea of community shaped by shared values, respect, sensitivity, strength, and freedom. The campaign positions difference as connective tissue rather than division.
Shot within a Parisian artist’s atelier, the images unfold against bold architectural lines and raw, primed canvas elements. Gridded photographic compositions and accompanying videos create a suspended atmosphere. “We photographed the campaign in a suspended, heterotopic space; a place where time feels paused. In that stillness, identity becomes clearer and connection becomes possible,” Piccioli explains. The setting establishes a precise visual reference point while allowing each subject’s presence to carry the narrative.
The campaign stars newly appointed ambassadors: British actor Harris Dickinson, known for Babygirl and Urchin; Oscar-nominated American actor Winona Ryder, whose career spans Beetlejuice, The Age of Innocence, and Stranger Things; and South Korean actor Roh Yoon Seo, a two-time Baeksang Arts Best New Actress Award winner.
Friends of the House include American actors Danielle Deadwyler and Havana Rose Liu, British composer Labrinth, Canadian actor Hudson Williams, Danish model Mona Tougaard, French model Loli Bahia, and Balenciaga exclusive models Ned Sims and Sen Samysheva. The casting underscores Piccioli’s emphasis on distinct identities in dialogue.
David Sims captures the cast in men’s and women’s ready-to-wear that merges modern silhouettes with Balenciaga technique. The garments prioritize volume and freedom, balancing austerity with lightness. Portraits range from intimate close-ups to broader compositions, incorporating improvisation and candid interviews. Spoken responses layer into a looping sonic collage that deepens the campaign’s sense of exchange.
“My work in this Maison is always about the people who wear the clothes, how they move, how they feel, how they exist in the world,” Piccioli continues. “I want the garments to bring ease and confidence, never to overpower. The person wears the clothing, not the opposite.”
With the campaign launch, the Balenciaga Summer 26 Collection becomes available in select stores worldwide and on balenciaga.com beginning February 17. Heart and Body positions Piccioli’s first chapter at the house as a dialogue between individuality and collective resonance.
