The Story behind BALENCIAGA!

 In the years after World War II, Balenciaga used clean, straight lines rather than the hourglass shape that Christian Dior was famous for at the time. By the 1960s, he had developed signature styles like the "bracelet sleeves" and the collar that deviated from the collar bone. He revolutionized women's fashion in the 1950s. Balenciaga was named the company's fastest-growing brand in 2018 after it was acquired by Kering in 2001, a multinational French company that also owns Alexander McQueen, Gucci, and Yves Saint Laurent.

WHAT PRODUCTS DOES BALENCIAGA MAKE?

Balenciaga licenses its name and branding to Coty for fragrances and produces ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, and accessories.

In August 1937, Balenciaga opened his couture house in Paris on Avenue George V. His first fashion show featured designs heavily influenced by the Spanish Renaissance. According to historians, Balenciaga's connections to Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco, a close ally of Adolf Hitler, made it possible for Balenciaga to continue operating during the Nazi occupation of Paris. In fact, the relationship with Franco was so close that Balenciaga created clothing for the Franco family. Cristóbal Balenciaga died in 1972 and closed his fashion house in 1968. Until 1986, the house was unoccupied. Jacques Bogart S.A. opened a new ready-to-wear line called "Le Dix" in 1986 after acquiring the rights to Balenciaga. In October 1987, Michel Goma designed the first collection. He stayed at the house for the next five years, to mixed reviews. In 1992, he was succeeded by Dutch designer Josephus Thimister Balenciaga, whose women's and men's collections were led by Nicolas Ghesquière.

Similar to Balenciaga, Ghesquière is a self-taught designer who worked as an apprentice under Jean-Paul Gaultier and Agnes b. Balenciaga's Fall/Winter 2007 collection wowed Teen Vogue editor-in-chief Amy Astley to the point where it inspired an entire spread in the magazine, titled "Global Studies," which was shot in Beijing.2010 to the Present In March 2011, Balenciaga celebrated the opening of Balenciaga and Spain, a 120-piece fashion retrospective of Cristóbal Balenciaga's career, at the M. H. de Young Museum in San Francisco. Numerous designs from the museum's extensive costume collection were included in the exhibit. The Cristóbal Balenciaga Museum opened in Getaria, Spain, in June 2011. Nicolas Ghesquière's 15-year tenure as creative director for Balenciaga was announced in November 2012. On February 28, 2013, at Paris Fashion Week, the brand announced Alexander Wang as its new creative director.

Balenciaga announced in July 2015 that it was ending its three-year partnership with Alexander Wang as creative director. The brand has achieved all-star status under Demna's creative direction, attracting stars like Kanye West, Justin Bieber, and Kim Kardashian to the fashion house. Even Kanye's Donda performance and time at GAP were significantly influenced by Demna's ironic, polarizing, and ironic designs. Balenciaga announced in October 2022 that it was cutting ties with Kanye West because of his anti-Semitic remarks.

HOW MUCH IS A BALENCIAGA ITEM?

Obviously, prices vary depending on the item, but the ready-to-wear collection offers a wide range of options, ranging from $90 for trademark Balenciaga socks to $4,152 for a Balenciaga Painted Biker Jacket, establishing Balenciaga as a luxury brand.

SUPPORT FOR UKRAINE

In March 2022 during Paris Fashion Week, Balenciaga expressed support for Ukraine during the Russian-Ukrainian War. T-shirts in yellow and blue (like the Ukrainian flag) were placed on the chairs.

CONTROVERSY IN CHILD ADVERTISING

 In November 2022, a Balenciaga Instagram campaign featured children holding teddy bears dressed in bondage. The photographer, Gabriele Galimberti, claimed that the images belonged to a project series called "Toy Stories." After receiving a lot of criticism, Balenciaga later apologized and took down all posts about the photo campaign. Hours later, Balenciaga issued an apology for an earlier advertisement that featured the text of an opinion from the Supreme Court regarding the child pornography case Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition. Balenciaga said it would sue North Six, the company that made the advertisement with the child pornography court document, as well as set designer Nicholas Des Jardins. A model with red hair is shown holding a small top-handle bag in another Balenciaga ad. The book Fire from the Sun, written by Belgian painter Michal Borremans, can be found in the background. It features paintings of young children that suggest danger. Following the controversy surrounding Balenciaga, some Twitter users stated that the paintings in this book disturbed them.