Balenciaga

Balenciaga

Founded by Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in 1919, the French fashion house Balenciaga has become one of the most influential in history. It produces haute couture and ready-to-wear (couture and pret-a-porter) collections. These include men's and women's clothing, footwear and accessories lines.

The brand is now owned by French fashion conglomerate Kering. It is headquartered at 10 Avenue George V in Paris, a landmark location for the fashion house where the great couturier Cristobal Balenciaga himself worked.

According to Balenciaga's official website, the building was renovated by Kering in 2021 as part of a project to preserve the fashion house's heritage. Since 2015, the brand's history has been written by Demna Gvasalia, a young creative director of Georgian origin who has brought the brand back to its former glory.

What makes Balenciaga unique

Modern French fashion house Balenciaga creates one-of-a-kind pieces, combining oversize, unconventional proportions and radical new designs. The look of the clothes produced has changed under the influence of designers who have been in the position of creative director, but only Demna Gvasalia has been able to adopt exactly the design approaches characteristic of the great couturier.

Cristobal Balenciaga was known for his revolutionary views. He introduced trapezoidal silhouettes and broad shoulders into fashion. His inventions included the tunic dress, the bag dress, the babydoll dress, the stand-up collar - things that changed the fashion of the 20th century. Their structure and shape are still used today in new styles. Even Coco Chanel said: "Of all of us, Balenciaga is the only true couturier in the full sense of the word. Only he is able to cut the fabric, model his creation and sew it with his own hands. The rest of us are nothing more than designers.

Demna Gvasalia's new brand story continues to develop the idea of unconventional silhouettes in a way that responds to the modern notion of beauty. He "breaks" the usual shape of styles by deconstructing them and likes to create branded over-size pieces. Balenciaga's trademark is his unusual sneakers, bags and ultra-modern deconstructed clothing.

The history of the Balenciaga brand: from foundation to present day

Cristobal Balenciaga opened the first atelier, which began the history of the brand, in 1919 in the Spanish city of San Sebastian. At the beginning of his creative career he often visited Paris, studying the works of Coco Chanel, Louise Boulanger and Madeleine Vionnet. The latter, when she saw the clothes he created, gave him the idea to open his own fashion house.

Balenciaga's clothes were created by the couturier in Spain until the civil war, which forced him to leave his homeland in 1936. This fact confuses many people when talking about the brand's country of origin. Some call it Spanish, others call it Spanish-French. Since Cristóbal Balenciaga spent most of his time in France and after the maestro's death his work was continued here, Balenciaga is considered a French fashion house.

The Rise and Blossom (1937-1968)

After opening his first boutique in Paris in 1937, Cristóbal Balenciaga's list of regular customers was filled with the greats of his time. Among them were actress and sex symbol Marlene Dietrich, Harper's Bazaar editor Gloria Guinness from 1963 to 1971, and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy. Cristobal Balenciaga's couture pieces have been worn by French, English, Spanish and Belgian aristocracy, as well as members of the royal family.

Balenciaga's collections were already contradicting ideas about women's fashion. The silhouettes proposed by the great fashion designer seemed crazy to his contemporaries. The official website features photos of the designer's works that have become part of the fashion house's legacy. Among them are the peacock-tailed dress of 1957, the sack dress of 1957, the sari dress of 1963 and a dozen other works that changed fashion.

In the 1960s, society's demands changed: less and less couture was bought and more and more designers wanted pret-a-porter (ready-to-wear) collections. Cristóbal Balenciaga was adamant on this point, saying, "I don't prostitute myself."

In 1968, when student protests swept Paris, he announced that Balenciaga was closing. He decided for himself that the brand would never have anything to do with street fashion, but he had no idea that 50 years later it would be the trend that, under the direction of Demna Gvasalia, would revitalize the French fashion house.

Decline and Revival (1968-2012)

In 1972, Cristobal Balenciaga died and his fashion house ceased operations for 15 years. In 1986, French perfume and clothing manufacturer Jacques Bogart S.A. bought the rights to the brand. Even after the purchase, nothing was produced under the brand until 1997 - until the arrival of French fashion designer Nicolas Ghesquière.

In 2001, Kering bought back the brand and continued to work with Nicolas Ghesquière, who later accused the management of moral pressure and physical exhaustion, but eventually amicably resolved his differences with the French conglomerate. He was briefly replaced by American designer Alexander Wang, who served as creative director from 2012 to 2015. This time, the creative director's departure was scandal-free.

World-wide success (2015-present)

In 2015, Balenciaga luxury clothing changed dramatically. With the arrival of Damna Gvasalia, each collection became an occasion for discussion and judgment. The young designer is a master of provocation. He combines luxury luxury with street fashion, with a love of avant-garde style, oversize and deconstruction.

First he produced a collaborative collection with shoe manufacturer Crocs. Then he did a digital collection with the video game Fortnite. Some of the pieces were available to buy "live". Then he collaborated Balenciaga with Gucci, The Simpsons cartoon series and sportswear manufacturer Adidas. He launched a line of children's clothing and, in late 2022, ran an ad campaign that caused an uproar over the depiction of children in the context of BDSM symbolism.

Just as Cristobal Balenciaga once created revolutionary pieces, Demna Gvasalia is now changing fashion. He's staging epathetic shows, emphasizing social issues and deliberately creating bizarre pieces in the style of Ugly Fashion. In this way, Gvasalia attracts attention, goes against conventional norms, and makes people talk about the topics raised in the design. In an interview with Vogue magazine he said: "Balenciaga is a reflection of everything I think and feel. I use fashion as a way to talk about things you can't keep quiet about."

Balenciaga branded items on Domino - original at European price in Ukraine

The Domino online store offers exclusive things from Balenciaga collections. The catalog presents real clothes, shoes and accessories of the brand. With the release of new collections the assortment changes, but there are things that are present in every line and are worth paying attention to. If you want to buy Balenciaga in Ukraine, take a look at these things:

• Sweatshirts, hoodies and oversize T-shirts made in street style. They are often decorated with large brand logos and provocative prints.
• Sneakers - comfortable shoes with a futuristic design. When making them, they combine natural leather, textiles, mesh, polyurethane and innovative materials. "Ugly sneakers" Triple S Balenciaga original is the most discussed and recognizable model.
• Women's bags made of leather, textile and nylon - accessories that are often bought by Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Beyonce, Kendall Jenner, Selena Gomez and other celebrities.

The Domino online store has other Balenciaga items - outerwear, sweaters, sweaters, jeans, skirts, pants and sunglasses. If you want to try on luxury clothes Balenciaga in Kiev before buying, come to one of the branded boutiques. In multi-brand stores Domino - European prices for luxury clothes, shoes and accessories.