When Demna designed his first menswear for Balenciaga a decade ago, he directly referenced an unfinished camel overcoat that founder Cristóbal Balenciaga had been working on for himself, given that the fashion house, founded in 1937, has a faint menswear legacy. (Indeed, it only introduced the category commercially in 2004).

Now designer Pierpaolo Piccioli, showing his first men’s designs as part of Balenciaga’s pre-fall 2026 collection, has done his own version of that camel number.

“I did it because I like the idea of giving a sort of continuum to what has been done before,” he said in an interview, echoing remarks made when he first joined the French house last July as creative director after a long career at Valentino.

The presence of chunky sneakers, tracksuits, hoodies and logo Ts should reassure Balenciaga’s current male devotees and other hype beasts, while also enticing them and others with lots of leather, sculptural silhouettes, sharp tailoring and that inimitable Piccioli polish.

Overall the collection felt newsy and urgent with its freewheeling blend of technical athletic wear and grand, enveloping coats, plus surprise collaborations with Manolo Blahnik on sexy mules and the National Basketball Association on a tight range of jerseys, shorts, T-shirts, bombers and track suits. (The NBA range drops immediately.)

“The vibe of reality and life,” is how Piccioli summed up the collection, photographed for the look book on Paris streets, on the metro and in a grand Parisian apartment outfitted with weightlifting equipment.

He stressed that the clinging technical garments, which include leggings, cropped tanks and catsuits, are made with moisture-wicking, antibacterial, high-performance fabrics, and even styles embroidered with sequins that can survive a sweaty yoga session or a long run.

Piccioli applied a similar method to a leather jacket — “it’s treated and engineered like a windbreaker,” he explained — and to footwear, including a pliable ballerina sneaker with a rubber sole, and men’s loafers with a cushioned Lycra interior construction akin to a sport shoe.

“If you don’t feel comfortable, you will never look cool,” he insisted.

The Italian designer has been wearing Balenciaga sneakers since the Triple S came out back in 2017, and he said the new Jet model is ultra light and suitable for sports, despite the big and bold appearance.

But he didn’t hold back on couture shapes and references, the gist of his Balenciaga debut last October, reprising the bulging backs of opera coats on bombers, and cocoon silhouettes on pea coats with outsize buttons. They look terrific, especially in leather, with which Piccioli achieved sculptural shapes without complex internal constructions — and with the right dose of drama.

A couture ensemble by Cristóbal, circa 1967, served as a key reference. It hinged on a cagoule worn over a riding hat, which Piccioli gave baseball airs in line with the season’s sportif mood.

The surprising collaborations — Demna did them with Crocs, PlayStation 5, Yeezy Gap and Britney Spears — are another example of continuity, though Piccioli’s choice of Blahnik and the NBA suggest a more high-brow orientation.

“I think we can create a business with elegant shoes as well,” he said of the tie-up with Blahnik, whose Spanish origins line up with Cristóbal’s.

Piccioli said he already feels right at home at Balenciaga, and this zesty, diverse collection and its appealing après-workout mood suggest he’s already found his groove.