Balenciaga
Azzedine Alaia
April 24, 2020Chanel
April 24, 2020
Cristobal Balenciaga was born in the Basque country of Spain in 1895. After studying dressmaking as a child, by age 20, Cristobal started his own brand and became Spain’s leading couturier. In 1937, he moved to Paris, where his business and his reputation flourished. He was inventive not only with silhouettes but also in the development of bold new textiles. He had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards and was referred to as "the master of us all" and as "the only couturier in the truest sense of the word" by other leading couturiers. Cristóbal Balenciaga closed his fashion house in 1968 and died in 1972.
In 1986, Jacques Bogart S.A. acquired the rights to Balenciaga, and attempted to restore the brand to an elite, high-fashion status with creative direction by Michel Goma and later Joseph Thimister and, in 1997, by a young French designer, Nicolas Ghesquière. Ghesquière’s collections revived the brand, creating a cult following and turning Balenciaga into a critically acclaimed fashion house. His era at Balenciaga is defined by his transformation of the brand into one of the most forward-thinking luxury brands in the world with his complex vision, sculptural tailoring and use of ultra-modern fabrics, while maintaining his respect for Cristóbal Balenciaga's original design concepts. Luxury powerhouse Kering quickly recognized the talent of the young Ghesquière and acquired the Balenciaga brand in 2001.
In 2015, Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia took over the creative reins, and has sent the label’s business figures sky-high in the space of two years. Since taking over the brand, Gvasalia has lived up to his reputation as a modern-day enfant terrible of luxury, reinterpreting both the house archives and Cristobal Balenciaga’s originals to disrupt the classics and create his own newfound aesthetic.
Current Creative Director: Demna Gvasalia
