Fashion
Streetwear week
Let’s talk about Balenciaga...
The origins of the Balenciaga brand
Cristóbal Balenciaga, known as the "Picasso of the fashion world", opened
his first boutique in Saint Sébastien in 1919, but it was in 1937 when he
opened his first atelier in Paris that he became internationally renowned.
The Spanish designer was distinguished by his perfect cuts, architectural
forms and perfectly refined lines. He eagerly used color. He was inspired,
among other things, by working-class clothing - loose fishing shirts and
hats - and by the works of Spanish Renaissance painters. Cristóbal's
career flourished in the 1950s and 1960s. He created innovative and bold
cuts and styles for those times, but despite his dynamic growth and
rightful admiration, the designer decided to close his brand in 1968.
Prominent French fashion houses such as Dior and Chanel were beginning to
focus more on ready-to-wear collections, which did not quite suit the
couturier.
Balenciaga returned to the fashion world in 1986, thanks to Jacques Bogart
S.A. At that time, the first ready-to-wear collections began to appear,
but their reviews were not very flattering. The fate of the Spanish brand
turned around only in 1997, when Nicolas Ghesquiere - a French-Belgian
designer known for his avant-garde ideas - became its creative director.
He held this position until 2012, when he was replaced by Alexander Wang,
an equally talented fan of austere minimalism. Since 2015 this position
has been held by a designer of Georgian origin, Demna Gvasalia, and it is
thanks to him that Balenciaga is on the lips of all fashion lovers.
The story of the Georgian designer
who turned the fashion world upside down
Demna Gvasalia was born in Georgia on March 25, 1981. At the age of 12, he
Likus Home Concept
started in the early 1990s. In 1997, he began studying economics at
Tbilisi State University, graduating in 2001. Shortly after, he moved with
his parents to Germany. Since he always wanted to work in the fashion
world, he eventually moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where he enrolled at the
Royal Academy of Fine Arts and graduated with a Master's degree in Fashion
Design in 2006.
Demna Gvasalia worked for over 3 years at the French fashion house Maison
Margiela before becoming a senior designer at Louis Vuitton in 2013. In
2014, he opened the VETEMENTS brand with his brother and close friends and
presented his first women's ready-to-wear collection in Paris in October
of the same year. A year later, he took over as creative director of the
he opened the VETEMENTS brand with his brother and close friends and
brand. In an interview with the WWD portal, he commented on his departure
with the following words: "I started Vetements because I was bored of
fashion and against all odds fashion did change once and forever since
Vetements appeared and it also opened a new door for so many. So I feel
that I have accomplished my mission of a conceptualist and design
innovator at this exceptional brand and Vetements has matured into a
company that can evolve its creative heritage into a new chapter on its
own".
Why Balenciaga's anti-fashion aesthetic
changed the definition of luxury in fashion -
Demna as a creator artist
Demna Gvasalia's greatest inspiration is everyday clothes - the infinite
possibility to interpret, wear and rework them. The downright anti-fashion
designs created first for his own brand Vetements and later for Balenciaga
turned the definition of luxury upside down, redirecting fashion towards
Boots / wellies
wide audience.
Demna brought street fashion into the living rooms, speaking to a whole
thanks to him that Balenciaga is on the lips of all fashion lovers
conventional rules of the fashion world, he focused primarily on
Well-known closet elements were redefined to respond to the needs
sneakers loved by all. His casual designs instantly became popular
fashion and against all odds fashion did change once and forever since
universe.
The Georgian designer's projects are a fascinating deconstruction of
accompany their owners in extreme conditions and countless adventures
Balenciaga was the record-breaking, brazenly clumsy Triple S with a
industry, making Balenciaga's designs true objects of desire. For several
seasons, the Spanish fashion house has been on the lips of not only
interested fashion fans, unequivocally reigning in the rankings in terms
of the number of searches in web browsers or mentions in social media.
The phenomenon of the Spanish brand shoes -
why they are the biggest objects of desire
Luggage and travel
accompany their owners in extreme conditions and countless adventures
Vetements appeared and it also opened a new door for so many. So I feel.
Demna Gvasalia has just released a limited collection of 'The Paris
Sneakers' that look... like they have been through everything. They are
absurd - but that is exactly what they are supposed to be. Demna's designs
stir emotions.
The first sports shoe model created by the Georgian designer for
Balenciaga was the record-breaking, brazenly clumsy 'Triple S' with a
massive triple sole. He made the trend for 'dad shoes' - shoes associated
with 'dads' who don't know anything about fashion - conquer the industry
and set it's course for many seasons to come.
Balenciaga continues to surprise with designs that immediately become
fodder for memes, gaining viral publicity not only among fashion lovers.
The inspiration for customized shoes often comes from other elements of
clothing, such as jeans or the iconic 'Cagole' bag model. It is also hard
to be indifferent to the 'Chevalier Derby' model, referring to the
medieval knight's armor, or the grotesque cooperation with Crocs. The last
object of desire among exclusive sneakers is the 'Defender' model inspired
by... tires.
The most interesting and surprising collections
World of technology
ready-to-wear spring 2019
collection
Digital artist Jon Rafman was responsible for the set design for the Spring 2019 show, creating a surreal tunnel that blurs the lines between reality and the world of technology. A visual eruption spitting out digital magma of images and data accompanied the stunning collection, in which the distinctive exaggerated shoulder lines and sculptural almost constructions, described by Gvasalie himself as 'neo-tailoring', played a central role. Well-known closet elements were redefined to respond to the needs world. For Spring 2022, Balenciaga presented Clones - the first designer has once again proven his ability to keep a close eye on PERFECT GIFTS FOR IMPERFECT MOMS non-obvious way.
The return to the brand's
kindness haute
couture
collection for autumn 2021
"This is the house where couture for me is kind of like innate, the essence. "It's not just a legacy - it's Cristóbal Balenciaga's legacy." This unique collection, Demna Gvasalia presented along the lines of Cristóbal's old shows. Models posed for photos with numbered silhouettes, and among the styling accessories we could see the Spanish designer's beloved gloves and elegant, voluminous hats. The Georgian welcomed guests with perfectly tailored suits and tailored creations, a combination of the brand's rich past and innovative futurism. The haute couture collection also featured oversized T-shirts, denim and... tracksuits. However, it was not much of a surprise when compared to the avant-garde dresses, which, impressing with their extremely unique cuts, closed the whole show.
Clones show
resort 2022 collection
"It's a show that never happened"
Demna Gvasala's love affair with the latest technologies continues
at its best. The Georgian designer takes under the microscope not
only the breathtaking possibilities, but also the digital dangers
seasons, the Spanish fashion house has been on the lips of not only
world. For Spring 2022, Balenciaga presented 'Clones' - the first
ever show made with deep fake technology. Models with
computer-generated clone faces of the artist Eliza Douglas walked
on a fake catwalk. The fake audience was able to admire real
SPRING-SUMMER TRENDS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
fashion and the real experiences of the designer himself. Demna
with dads who dont know anything about fashion - conquer the industry
surprising collaboration with Gucci - the 'Hacker Project' - that
accompanies the collection. We can see 'real fakes', accessories
in the characteristic colors with the 'Web' stripe and the iconic
monogram reworked into... Balenciaga logo.