From Middlesex University to Creative Director of Balenciaga

“Nicest woman in fashion”, who returned to teach and nurture new talent at Middlesex, appointed to top role

Middlesex University graduate Martine Rose has been appointed as the Creative Director of the iconic fashion house Balenciaga.
 
Luca de Meo, CEO of Balenciaga’s owners Kering, said the choice reflects their ambition to keep the brand “at the forefront of innovation, creativity and culture”.

Martine will oversee both men’s and womenswear lines. She previously worked as a menswear consultant to Balenciaga for three years from 2015, brought in by Demna Gvasalia (now Creative Director at Gucci). 

She will be the first woman to head up the influential label in its history. She is one of three women of colour appointed creative director of an international design house over the past year, along with Grace Wales Bonner at Hermès and Rachel Scott at Proenza Schouler.

Fashion academic Lucy Fine, left, and Martine, centre, at the Graduate Show at Old Truman Brewery in 2014

Known for her subversive reinterpretations of menswear, playing with proportions and using fabrics such as satin and lace, Martine is inspired by the club culture she discovered through her older cousins and siblings, growing up in South London.

She studied BA Fashion at Middlesex from 1999 to 2002. The year after graduating she launched her first business, a T-shirt line, with friend and stylist Tamara Rothstein. Her self-titled label followed in 2007, set up with the help of a £1,500 loan from the Prince's Trust. 

Among her trademarks is showing collections in local and community venues near her North London home, including over the years Seven Sisters Market, a rock-climbing centre and a disused sauna, with everyday people modelling the clothes. 

She has a long-running collaboration with Nike and has also partnered with Clarks shoes. 

Her fans include Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Bieber and Timothée Chalamet. Billie Eilish was on the cover of British Vogue in a Martine Rose hot-pink track jacket and headscarf in May last year.

Martine returned to Middlesex to teach on the fashion courses, first as a visiting lecturer and then for four years from 2012 to 2016 as a tenured academic, an experience she calls “challenging but incredibly rewarding”.

“I worked it out recently, my first love is people… teaching is a way to connect to people,” she said last year. “There are students wracked with self-doubt, all sorts of challenges at home, physical challenges. 

“Some students overcome unbelievable odds. And it’s so inspiring to be a teacher and to see that, to watch them grow.”

In 2025, Martine was awarded an honorary degree by Middlesex. In her address to students, she said: “One thing I hope you all maintain and nurture throughout your journey is a curious mind.

“Look around you at your classmates, because you are the next generation of the industry. Make connections, keep in touch. They are the names you will rely on.”

Martine, left, fellow graduate Rokas Kamblevicius, centre, and Lucy Fine, right, at the 2014 Fashion Communication and Styling Degree show 

Lucy Fine, Director of Creative Practices Programmes at Middlesex University, who lectured alongside Martine at the University, said: “She’s the nicest woman in fashion – her work is completely authentic. She’s interested in meeting all different types of people, and that’s what inspires her. 

“She’s so generous with her time. She’s contributed to Middlesex fashion programmes every year since she stopped teaching here. 

“There’s a feeling of connection with her. Everyone is so proud and delighted for her. She made such a mark on generations of students here.”

Commenting on the news, Professor Gareth Williams, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries at Middlesex University, said: “We are so proud that Martine studied fashion design at Middlesex and now enjoys such success in her career. Her achievement shows how our creative education continues to shape and lead the creative industries.”

Read more about studying Fashion Communication and Styling at Middlesex