ANOK YAI, LIU WEN, AND DARA GUEYE STAR IN BALENCIAGA’S WINTER 2026 CAMPAIGN

Photographed by Robin Galiegue, Balenciaga’s Winter 26 Collection, ClairObscur is seen in a new light via a campaign starring Anok Yai, Dara Gueye, and Liu Wen. Pierpaolo Piccioli’s inspiration for the season is High Renaissance art, reimagining historical Balenciaga codes in modern parlance: sharp-edged and dramatically-draped. Focusing on the architecture of outwear bags, images suggest a play of darkness and light, envelopment and ease. 

Sculptural outerwear such as hooded jackets, peacoats, and blousons feature high collars and rounded shoulders made in exquisite leathers, shearlings, wools, and paillette-embroidered satin silks. Gleaming with gold B-shaped buckles and understated jewelry pairings, the collection comes to life with flashes of radiance: acid-bright colours among dark neutrals, nodding to the clair-obscur technique that immediately imbues its subject with emotional valence.

The Hourglass Avenue Bag elegantly reimagines the Hourglass line, referencing a silhouette for which the House is historically known. Le 7 Bowling Bag, named for Paris’s 7th arrondissement, consists of luxuriously cocooning layers. The Bloom Pump and the Midnight City Mule are individually defined by a coquettish set of curves.