Balmain CEO Massimo Piombini Steps Down

Samantha McDonald

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Balmain has confirmed the departure of its CEO.

Massimo Piombini, who joined the luxury brand more than two and a half years ago, is leaving his post for personal reasons, the firm said in an email to FN. A new chief will be appointed in February.

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Piombini, who succeeded Emmanuel Diemoz in April 2017, previously served as the worldwide commercial director at Valentino — whose parent company, like Balmain, is the Qatar-based Mayhoola for Investments.

“Under his leadership, the company has experienced a significant growth and organizational evolution, setting solid basis for further growth of the brand in the next years,” Balmain said in a statement. “The house wishes him well on his future endeavors.”

Piombini’s exit comes amid a period of expansion for the French fashion house, which has opened stores in Miami, São Paolo, Paris, Moscow and Hong Kong over the past couple years, as well as signed a lease for a flagship in New York, scheduled to open in the first half of 2020.

Along with creative director Olivier Rousteing, Piombini has helped open up Balmain to a broader audience, including its more recent high-profile partnership with sportswear giant Puma. The boxing-inspired collaboration — borne out of the friendship between Rousteing and Puma ambassador Cara Delevingne — includes tracksuit separates, a gold-embroidered backpack and double-strap sneakers.

“We are very selective because we don’t want to dilute the brand equity, so we are very careful to accept a new cooperation, but in the case of Puma and Cara, it was, as I said before, very natural,” Piombini told FN’s sister publication WWD in a late November interview. “We’re all moving in an ecosystem where consumers are looking at fashion brands and sportswear brands in a very cohesive way, more than before. This is something that made our cooperation quite natural and authentic.”

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