Last night (7 March 2026), Pierpaolo Piccioli presented ‘ClairObscur’, his second collection for Balenciaga, and a collaboration with Sam Levinson, creator of HBO Original’s multi award-winning teen drama Euphoria.
The collaboration played out across screens at a show space on Avenue Champs-Elysées, which featured preview clips from the series’ third season, which will air to the public in mid-April. In attendance for the A/W 2026 event were stars from HBO’s catalogue, including Rachel Sennott (I Love LA) and Hudson Williams (Heated Rivalry). ‘The installation and experiential space represent a refraction and reflection of principles central to Levinson and Piccioli – of truth, compassion, affinity and above all humanity,’ a statement from Balenciaga detailed.
Balenciaga's Euphoria collaboration
The collection was ‘a search for the tension between darkness and light’
Euphoria – which catapulted its cast, including the likes of Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, and Hunter Schafer to fame when it first aired in 2019 – is known for its striking visual style. Its second series was shot entirely on 35mm film, and its mundane setting of a nondescript American high school is elevated through distinctive lighting which adds to the show’s emotional realism. In particular, its dreamy quality is conveyed through the use of saturated coloured light.
Appropriately then, ClairObscur took its essence from ‘a search for the tension between darkness and light’, which in high art is also known as clair-obscur or chiaroscuro, and tends to manifest as dramatically contrasting tones to create intense depth.
Balenciaga A/W 2026 runway
Piccioli described the rationale behind his choice of Levinson as creative partner, as being for his ‘ability to convey a sense of our realities, through a prismatic representation of human fragilities and strengths. This show is a way of weaving stories together, leaving space to imagine a multitude of possibilities. It is about always finding the light in the darkness.’ He also praised Levinson for his skills in being about to ‘see without judgement… there is no vanity in his approach,’ Piccioli said.
On the collaboration and its themes, Levinson commented that: ‘Without Obscur, the Clair would be flat and blinding; and without the Clair, the Obscur would swallow everything into darkness. I think Euphoria has always been about characters searching for that balance of light and dark, attempting to find the harmony that exists within and the wonder of being alive’.
Piccioli was announced to lead the house founded in 1919 by Spanish couturier Cristóbal Balenciaga, in May of last year, following the departure of Demna Gvasalia to Gucci after ten years as creative director. The Italian designer had previously been at the helm of Valentino, since 2008, where he was known for his experiments in colour and volume.
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