Balmain has selected Antonin Tron as its new creative director, extending fashion’s great creative reset into 2026.
The seasoned French designer, who came onto the international radar in 2016 when he founded his Atlein brand, is to show his first collection for Balmain in March for the fall-winter 2026 fashion season. He will dedicate himself exclusively to the French house.
He last showed an Atlein collection on the Paris runway for the fall 2025 fashion season.
“I wish to express my gratitude to Olivier Rousteing for building Balmain into the global brand it is today,” Tron said in a statement shared first with WWD.
He was referring to his predecessor, who stepped down earlier this month after an acclaimed 14-year tenure, one of the longest in recent fashion history.
“Balmain has a truly inspiring history. At its heart, the house embodies savoir-faire, culture, sensuality, and elegance – fashion that is radiant, precise, and bold,” Tron added. “This resonates deeply with me, and I feel privileged to have the opportunity to build on this incredible legacy.”
Shortly after launching Atlein, Tron scooped the First Collections Prize at the 2018 ANDAM awards and quickly garnered high-profile wholesale clients including Bergdorf Goodman in New York, Ikram in Chicago, The Webster in Miami, Galeries Lafayette in Paris, Boon the Shop in Seoul and Net-a-porter online.
He initially earned acclaim for his draped jersey pieces and sexy dresses, more recently delving into sculptural tailoring and outerwear, too.
Atlein Fall 2025 Ready-To-Wear Collection at Paris Fashion Week
Paolo Caponetto/Atlein
Tron made headlines in 2024 by collaborating with Kylie Jenner‘s affordable fashion label Khy on a sultry, dress-heavy collaboration.
A graduate of Antwerp’s famed Royal Academy of Fine Arts, where he was classmates with Demna and Glenn Martens, Tron started out designing men’s wear at Louis Vuitton, followed by women’s wear at Givenchy and Balenciaga, where he collaborated with a succession of its creative directors: Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang and Demna. He has also worked with the design teams at Saint Laurent.
At Balmain, he will be charged with giving a new impulse to the legacy house, which last year re-entered the perfume business via a license with the Estée Lauder Cos.
“We are exceptionally pleased to welcome Antonin Tron to the group and to Balmain,” said Rachid Mohamed Rachid, chairman of Balmain and chief executive officer of its Qatari parent, Mayhoola, which also owns Valentino, Pal Zileri and Turkish retailer Beymen.
According to Rachid, Tron’s “thoughtful approach to design, rooted in craftsmanship and artistic sensitivity, makes him an exciting talent for the house.”
He noted that the designer would partner with Balmain CEO Matteo Sgarbossa to “lead Balmain into a compelling new future, one that honors its storied history while confidently shaping a future defined by creativity, modernity, and elegance.”
Sgarbossa said Tron’s design method, “rooted in the art of draping and the physicality of fabric, marks a continuation of Pierre Balmain’s foundational belief that ‘dressmaking is the architecture of movement.’
Like the founder, who established the house in 1945, “Antonin sees fashion as a spatial art, building around the human form with precision and emotion. Antonin will build on the house’s heritage of creativity, craftsmanship, elegance, and profound human values.”
While Balmain had recently been transmitting messages about continuity, “changes are unique opportunities to innovate, learn from and strengthen the business,” Sgarbossa said in an exclusive interview.
The executive joined Balmain from Givenchy in May 2024, spending his time since then “building the team, rationalizing the structure and getting to know our loyal clients.
“I have strong conviction in Balmain’s huge potential and I know that Antonin will help realize that,” he told WWD. “With his ideas for Balmain, his creativity, spirit and talent, I know that Antonin is the right partner to work with me and the team to build our shared vision.
“Our goal remains to fulfill the dream of Balmain. For our clients and for the maison, this dream is about aspiration, connection, elegance, and meaning,” he continued. “Few luxury brands can bridge such a rich past with such a progressive present. With 80 years of heritage, we are still in the early chapters of what Balmain can become. I am excited for what comes next.”
Antonin Tron
Yedihael/Courtesy of Balmain
Tron, 41, becomes the latest player in a vast game of musical chairs that has seen new creative directors arrive at a host of marquee brands this past year, including at Chanel, Dior, Gucci, Balenciaga, Loewe, Bottega Veneta, Givenchy, Dries Van Noten, Celine, Maison Margiela, Calvin Klein, Jil Sander, Versace, Tom Ford, Alberta Ferretti, Lanvin, Blumarine, Mugler and Jean Paul Gaultier.
Other debuts coming in early 2026 include Maria Grazia Chiuri at Fendi, Meryll Rogge at Marni, Rachel Scott at Proenza Schouler and Jaden Smith at Christian Louboutin’s men’s division. Grace Wales Bonner, recently named the next menswear creative director at Hermès, is not expected to show her first collection until January 2027.
Rousteing, 40, has yet to indicate his next move, though he may wish to take a long break after an eventful Balmain career marked by creative audacity, pioneering communications and strong growth.
The Bordeaux-born designer, who briefly attended Paris’ ESMOD school, joined Balmain from Roberto Cavalli in 2009, initially tapped as head of the studio under then-creative director Christophe Decarnin.
In 2011, Rousteing made history when he was named creative director at the age of 25. Not only was he the youngest designer to step into such a role, but he was also the first Black womenswear designer at the helm of a French fashion house.
He went on to shape a transformative chapter for Balmain, catapulting it to new heights cultural relevance, heat, currency — and sales.
It is understood revenues doubled since Mayhoola acquired the brand in 2016 — they are estimated at 300 million euros — and accessories have zoomed to account for about 30 percent of the business.
