After a decade-long tenure with Balenciaga, Demna Gvasalia has parted ways with the French Luxury Fashion House, ultimately altering the brand forevermore. Cemented in their identity for masterfully bridging Cristóbal Balenciaga’s iconic sculptural heritage with unorthodox-distruptive modern culture, Demna has consistently been turning the world of haute couture on its head to remain relevant with a new generation. His impact on Balenciaga resides in several distinct cultural and sartorial shifts. Leaving the esteemed house in the hands of former Valentino Creative Director Pierpaolo Piccioli, Gvasalia subsequently took on a new artistic challenge by becoming Gucci’s new Creative Director amid Alessandro Michele’s departure. By resurrecting the couture atelier, elevating everyday streetwear, recontextualizing celebrity cameos, and his final curtain call, Demna has left the future of Balenciaga in good shape. But what is in store for the Luxury Fashion House in the face of his departure?

2 Demna’s Debut Collection, 3. Demna’s Jackets on jackets from A/W2018           

Beginning his career with Balenciaga in 2015, Demna was an unexpected yet refreshing choice to bear the weight of his newly appointed title of Creative Director. His Balenciaga debut was described as having no production value, which allowed him to create a clean cut aesthetic. Ultimately leading into the seamless blend of bridging his knowledge of streetwear with            1 Balenciaga’s couture cocoon shaped and sloped silhouettes. Flash forward ten years later and he married the brand’s haute couture roots with revolutionary streetwear and internet irony. Growing the brand into a $2 billion dollar megabrand, by marketing oversized, dystopian silhouettes, and trailblazing a disruptive pop-culture marketing plan. His approach to the brand was very tongue in cheek. With ideas that had not been seen before by the French Fashion House, Demna left a mark with every collection he debuted. Many of his collections went viral online for a slew of reasons, however one in particular held the internet in its clutches. In 2018 he took Balenciaga’s cocoon silhouette to the max with elephantine outerwear that consisted of a flannel shirt layered with a hoodie, trench coat, fleece, a ski coat, and multiple parkas. Instantly going viral for appearing similar to Friend’s Joey Tribbiani, this obscure coat allowed the world to see how far Demna was willing to push to create something utterly unique and absurd.  

Unabashedly himself, Demna was not afraid to step outside of the box with his designs at Balenciaga. In his final bow with the brand, he stated that “This collection is the perfect way for me to finish my decade at Balenciaga. I have come as close as possible to being satisfied in this endless pursuit of impossible perfection – the defining ethos of Cristóbal Balenciaga,” (Via Demna’s Final Show Notes). His final runway consisted of 39 looks, with haute couture craftsmanship shining through each design. Collaborating with four Neapolitan tailoring ateliers is how Demna created suits with soft, lightweight and minimal padding. Engineered to be one-size-fits-all and designed around a bodybuilder physique, these suits were placed on various models. Highlighting how it's not only the garment that defines the silhouette but the body. Rigid corsetry was elevated with modern techniques, providing structure while allowing for unprecedented comfort. Demna paid homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s roots of Old Hollywood Glamour and Trompe l'Œil, with the closing looks of the  collection paying tribute to stars like Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. With icon Kim Kardashian wearing a white slip dress that was a direct honour to Elizabeth Taylor. Through highly technical fabric manipulation, was Demna able to create the illusion of fur, feathers and cancan laces without using any animal products, and solely relying on 3D-printed resin and traditional millinery techniques. Accompanied with the sculptural garments were Handmade Couture Sneakers. The atelier created handmade-traditional “Balenciaga Couture” sneakers developed entirely using bespoke shoemaking techniques. 

Demna has created a lasting legacy through his tenure at Balenciaga. And hopefully he carries his unique self-expression along with him to Gucci. A true craftsman in his work, each of Demna Gvsalia’s collections with the brand have been innovative with many spiking controversy due to their absurdity. However he remained tethered to honouring his own creative mantra as well as attributing to the design structure that Cristóbal Balenciaga started. Here’s to the new era of Balenciaga.