The Transition of Balenciaga: Past Art to Modern Mayhem
Spring 2023, written by Luxe Aurano.
The reputation of Balenciaga was once a couture heaven, but may have turned to complete chaos.
I vividly recall my preparation for the 50th Balenciaga Couture show to be livestreamed for the public in 2021. It was a total of 53 years in which the brand had presented the finest form of fashion to clients and supporters, although this time it was presented through Demna’s modern interpretation. There was a certain level of mystery with Demna–the current Creative Director for Balenciaga–as the ability to create sought out garments was apparent, but his ability to experiment with couture was not. As the attendees were seated in silence at Avenue George V, in a revamped version of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s original private workshop, the new couture designs pay homage to the original brand codes with Demna’s aesthetic built in. Look after look, you can sense the brand’s heritage within the collection alongside a modern twist. With such a perfect combination, I myself–watching through my home television–and the physical attendees were filled with drama and thrill as this moment marks yet another milestone for the iconic fashion house.
Jump to recent events, the brand has not been able to hold its original standards. In Fall of 2022, Demna released two Balenciaga campaigns that had connected the fashion house to the questionable topics of child sexualization and abuse. The transition of designers over time has
given opportunity for the Balenciaga house to evolve, but as of late the brand standards have degraded.
The normality of changing designers for fashion houses has become a game of musical chairs. Choosing to embody the style and aesthetic of the original house designer, or interpreting the house codes in their own way can be a difficult choice to choose for those creatively in charge. With either choice, there is a sense of respect towards the founder of the brand. Although when the brand codes are manipulated to create a whole new storyline, that's when things become unacceptable.
Balenciaga has become a household name to those who stay up to date with social media and influential celebrities. With Demna leading the fashion house, he has created a cult following of unconventional and fashion forward individuals due to his creation of playful silhouettes and sought-out accessories; overall, there is a hype that many find entertaining. Part of this hype is due to his ability to provoke an audience. To provoke means to stimulate a certain emotion from an individual. In Balenciaga’s case, Demna’s ability to provoke has been tied to this brand’s current chapter in fashion. Unconventional models, exaggerated pieces of clothing, and stimulating runway shows are just a few examples that correlate with his impact. Over the time in which Demna has been leading the house, he has revived it to reach new demographics: from the high luxury clientele, to the relatable streetwear individual. The result of this has created a mixing pot of celebrity collaborations and internet sensations from his supporters. Gaining experience from Maison Margiela and Louis Vuitton, it has allowed him to create his original anti-fashion brand, Vetements, which has gone against many fashion stereotypes from breaking the fashion show schedule, to ultimately pushing the sluggish and rugged look to mainstream trends. This has stuck with him during his entire design career.
As the skill of provoking can be seen in every one of Demna’s shows for Balenciaga, it has been a roller coaster that was going up for the longest time. It immediately went into a downfall when his campaigns from Fall of 2022 released, and supporters to celebrities alike disapproved of what was being connected to child sexualization and abuse. A celebrity who is consistently at the forefront of pop culture is undoubtedly, Kim Kardashian. She has been tied to Balenciaga due to her ex-husband, Kanye West, and their fashionable dynamic with Demna. She has been included in many interactions with the brand from campaign features, red carpet looks, and a plethora of promoting Instagram posts. As one being tied closely with the brand, she too was affected with these questionable campaigns. In her words through her Twitter account, “As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period” (Kardashian). These words in itself have an influential impact due to her own power over her large audience, and overall causes more attention to be paid to Demna and his mistakes.
Under such a public radar, it was his responsibility to correct the immediate fault in the brand’s actions. In a reflective interview with Vogue regarding his inappropriate actions, “The provocative aspect of my work often got misinterpreted and misunderstood, and I no longer feel like applying it to my designs” (Vogue). Following these moments, his comeback to the fashion show scene in Spring of 2023 displayed an array of quality garments with the lack of provoking features such as a theatrical setting, celebrity show attendees, or the distracting music. His actions showed that to improve his character, it was a necessity to prioritize the garments displayed over creating a provoking production.
To compare the traits from the current designer to the original brand founder, both Demna and Cristóbal Balenciaga excel with detailed garment making and innovative designs. In the past we were blessed to have seen such work from the Parachute dress in 1952, the Sari dress in 1963, and the Pétale dress in 1965 (Kering); all of which were created by Cristóbal Balenciaga. What makes it so innovative for the time is that it was pushing boundaries that were never touched; as mentioned in a historic essay from The Costume Institute, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Balenciaga favored fluid lines that allowed him to alter the way clothing related to a woman’s body. Waistlines were dropped, then raised, independent of the wearer’s natural waistline” (Charleston).
The brand heritage was originally catered towards high class individuals, and women who enjoy the fashionable details of life. Cristóbal Balenciaga was a son to a seamstress mother who sparked a fashion opinion for him. Perhaps his mother’s designs and aesthetic inspired his own thoughts on beauty, “Her clients included the most fashionable and glamorous women in the village” (V&A). With him growing up in such a luxe focussed environment, he then created his own namesake label in Barcelona and Madrid, which further on expanded into Paris after the Spanish Civil War. He stood apart from other designers and couturiers, as he was specific with every step of the creative process for his designs. With his spanish heritage being apparent within his creations, he was unique in presenting a niche angle when it came to being set in a parisian surrounding.
Both Cristóbal and Demna are able to play with silhouettes to create a new standard of beauty. In modern times, Demna has been able to exaggerate the garments with heightened shoulders, a stiffened hourglass silhouette, and the use of futuristic & disheveled footwear that adds weight to the wearer. Demna started his fashion journey at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of
Fine Arts, and after earning his masters degree in fashion design, he went on to design for the previously mentioned Maison Margiela in 2009, and later onto Louis Vuitton in 2013. It was his own creation of the brand, Vetements in 2014, that propelled his anti-fashion opinion within the industry. Many characteristics can still be seen within his time at Balenciaga. Heavily inspired by streetwear and anti-fashion themes, this resulted in Demna to introduce the Balenciaga house to many new demographics never explored. Currently, you can see a high-end client adorning her body with a pleated and floral dress from many of his collections, but also see a struggling youthful teen who finally saved enough money to purchase a pair of his oversized dad sneakers. Overall, the merge of demographics has created a cult following that has many fashion individuals in a choke hold. As mentioned in WWD, “I definitely intend to defend what is my design territory” (WWD). With that in mind, his territory has now gone to global mass, and the responsibility to guide an audience becomes larger.
Reflecting on the two individuals, exactly what contrasts their work? Simply, Demna has created an empire that involves a mixing pot of every personality imaginable. Cristóbal on the other hand catered to a specific clientele and became covetable while also remaining exclusive. The comparison of the two reveals that Demna excels in provoking to reach an increased number of supporters, while Cristobal prioritized craft to those who truly sought it out. Perhaps the Zeitgeist of our time requires many fashion leaders to be more inclusive, but even then, Demna proves that not all inclusivity can be a positive note–as his questionable campaigns dissected a certain thought process that is not in favor of society.
With this moment for Demna, it has become a time to reflect and reevaluate the current standing of Balenciaga. As the craving for more attention and publicity is a habit within the fashion industry, not all publicity is beneficial. After examining the timeline of a brand rich in
heritage, it is unfortunate to see the digression of what was once so luxe and fabulous to then turn the standard into something so tragic and disappointing.
Sources:
- “Brand History: Balenciaga.” Kering, www.kering.com/en/houses/couture-and-leather-goods/balenciaga/history/. Accessed 14 May 2023.
- Charleston, Beth Duncuff. “Cristobal Balenciaga (1895–1972).” In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bale/hd_bale.htm. Accessed 24 May 2023.
- “Introducing Cristóbal Balenciaga.” Victoria and Albert Museum, www.vam.ac.uk/articles/introducing-cristobal-balenciaga. Accessed 14 May 2023.
- Kardashian, Kim (@KimKardashian). “As a mother of four, I have been shaken by the disturbing images. The safety of children must be held with the highest regard and any attempts to normalize child abuse of any kind should have no place in our society — period.” 27 November 2022, 3:58PM. Tweet.
- Socha, Miles. “Exclusive: DEMNA GVASALIA EXITS VETEMENTS.” WWD, 16 Sept. 2019, wwd.com/feature/demna-gvasalia-exits-vetements-exclusive-1203283590/. Accessed 14 May 2023.
- Vogue. “Demna on the Record: The Balenciaga Designer on the Brand’s Controversy and His Path Forward.” Vogue, 9 Feb. 2023, www.vogue.com/article/demna-addresses-balenciaga-controversy. Accessed 14 May 2023.
