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Balenciaga in Austin, Texas
Balenciaga in Austin Courtesy of Balenciaga

Balenciaga

Cristóbal Balenciaga founded his fashion label in 1917 in San Sebastian, Spain. In 1937, following the Spanish Civil War, he moved the brand in Paris, where he became a celebrated couturier and established Balenciaga’s reputation for highly conceptual, ultra-modern shapes.

After more than 50 years in business, Balenciaga closed his atelier in 1968. It was revived in 1986 under the ownership of Jacques Bogart SA and following a series of lackluster collections, found new life under designer Nicolas Ghesquière, who served as creative director from 1997 to 2012.

Since October 2015, Balenciaga’s men’s and women’s collections have been overseen by Georgian designer and artistic director Demna Gvasalia, who has worked to create desirable fashion while also engaging in broader dissertations on cultural, social and political topics.

At the same time, Gvasalia has built close relationships with other luxury and sportswear brands through a plethora of collaborative efforts with the likes of Gucci, Adidas and Vibram. Balenciaga’s work with Crocs, in particular, has produced numerous head-turning shoes that have gotten the fashion set talking.

In recent seasons, Balenciaga become a serious player in the sneaker space with its maximalist Triple S and Track sneakers, as well as its distinctive knit Speed sneaker.

Balenciaga has been part of the Kering group since 2001.

Balenciaga

Balenciaga’s Colette Takeover Includes Eye Masks, Mugs and Beyond

Creative director Demna Gvasalia has concocted a series of events for its residency, including installations…

Balenciaga Opens on Madison Avenue

It's the first store in New York to feature Demna Gvasalia's retail design.

Amid Runway Overload, Vetements Nixes Paris Show

The brand is to showcase its spring 2018 collections in a showroom during men's week in Paris.

Demna Gvasalia Looks to the Office for Balenciaga Men’s Campaign

Jarno Parkkima and Erwin Weder, the stars of the advertisements, are shown lounging on office furniture.

Kering, H&M, Others Commit to Development of ‘Circular’ Apparel

As part of a new sustainable fashion initiative, Kering and some brands are teaming up to make more earth…

Balenciaga Subverts Logo in Understated Fall Ads

The images by Johnny Dufort show women seated or propped on chairs against the Balenciaga logo carpet used in…

Demna Gvasalia: Goodbye Underground, Hello Pragmatism

The designer of Vetements and Balenciaga talks about his next chapter on the eve of the CFDA Awards.

British Designers Fete the Launch of ‘Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion’ at the V&A

Stephen Jones, Sandra Choi, Molly Goddard, Jasmine Guinness and Gareth Pugh were among the guests.

V&A Museum Unveils ‘Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion’ Exhibition

The focus is on the designer's work from the Fifties and Sixties, which the museum believes was his most…

Balenciaga to Open Avenue Montaigne Store

The Paris boutique will boast an interior based on the same design concept as the brand's revamped Rue…

Carine Roitfeld To Be Honored, Pierre Hardy to Speak at the French Institute Alliance Française

On two different occasions, Pierre Hardy and Carine Roitfeld will be making appearances at the French…

Politics at Hand: Women’s Briefcases Stir Debate About Fashion in the Trump Era

For fall 2017, designers across the globe equipped their collections with corporate, men's wear-inspired…

Josephus Thimister Consulting on Emilio Pucci’s Next Collection

Thimister will collaborate on the collection, which is being designed by the in-house team following the exit…

Balenciaga Adds Four to Executive Committee

The appointments include a new global merchandising director and a director of key strategic projects related…

Balenciaga Confirms Madison Avenue Boutique

Slated to open in June, the unit is to be dressed in an industrial-strength décor conceived by Demna Gvasalia.