The French luxury group Kering announced on Monday that the fashion designer Pierpaolo Piccioli was appointed creative director of Balenciaga. He follows the German-Georgian fashion designer Demna, who has given the Spanish house Balenciaga with its XXL silhouettes in the past ten years. Demna takes over the position of chief designer at Gucci. The 57-year-old Piccioli, born in Rome, moved to Balenciaga at Valentino after 25 years.