You Either Love it or Hate it: Inside the Evolution of Balenciaga

Balenciaga is one of the most influential and divisive fashion houses of the modern era. Founded in 1917 by Cristóbal Balenciaga, the brand today is associated with chaos, controversy, and the Kardashians. The House’s contemporary reputation is a strong departure from its origins as a haute couture atelier. Described by Gabrielle Chanel as a "couturier in the truest sense," Cristóbal Balenciaga revolutionised womenswear, leaving behind a legacy that’s endured for over a century. How did the brand transform from a pioneering innovator to a polarising disrupter?

Humble Beginnings

Cristóbal Balenciaga was born in 1895 on the Basque coast of Spain. Son of a seamstress, fashion was in his blood. His first clients were the society ladies who frequented his mother’s atelier. In 1917, he opened his first store in Spain and began trading under the Balenciaga name. After a flourishing career in Spain, the instability of the Spanish Civil War forced a move to Paris in 1937, where he opened the first Balenciaga store at 10 Avenue George V.

A Fitting Description

Christian Dior thought of Balenciaga as the ‘master’ of fashion design. Balenciaga’s manipulation of contemporary silhouettes subverted and reinvented the expectations of womenswear. Inspired by Chanel, Vionnet, and Lanvin, Balenciaga would buy pieces so he could understand and subsequently redesign them. His designs, described by the Cut as ‘architecture for clothing’, departed from the confined figures of the era. Abandoning the waistline and creating boxy, fluid shapes for women, some of his most famous were the Sack Dress in 1957, the Petale Dress in 1965, and the Parachute Dress.

Balenciaga Sack Dress. Courtesy of Balenciaga archives.

Parachute Dress. Courtesy of Balenciaga archives.

Balenciaga ‘Petale Dress’. Courtesy of Manuel Outumuro.

Inspired by other cultures, he reworked their traditional garments into House codes, toeing the line carefully between appropriation and appreciation. He is also credited for reforming the Babydoll dress. Traditionally thought of as nightwear, Balenciaga’s `incorporation of lace into the garments transformed them into evening wear.

Balenciaga Evening Baby Doll Dress.
*Courtesy of* *Victoria and Albert Museum*

Fall and Rise

After Balenciaga’s retirement in 1968 and his death in 1972, the House shuttered its doors and was largely regarded as a relic of fashion's past. It was not until 1997 when it was bought by Josephus Thimster and subsequently by Kering in 2002, that it was revived and modernised. In 1997, the brand was reborn through Nicolas Ghesquiere, now of Louis Vuitton fame. Ghesquiere incorporated wearability into the brand's heritage. No longer relegated to ballrooms and movie premieres, Ghesquiere Cristóbal’s Balenciaga became accessible to modern women through the modern celebrity. His most significant contribution is the Le City Bag, released in 2006 and now relaunched in 2024. The bag is now on track to become the ‘it bag’ of the season, spotted on the likes of Bella Hadid, Kaia Gerber, and Paloma Elsesser. Following Nicolas was a brief stint by Alexander Wang, who later abandoned the House to refocus his energy on his eponymous party-girl label.

Balenciaga Le City Bag Campaign 2024. Courtesy of Mario Sorrenti.

Balenciaga Fall 2014. Courtesy of Vogue Runway.

The Balenciaga we love (or hate) today is the brainchild of Demna Gvasalia. Born in Georgia in 1981, Demna and his brother Guram launched Vetements - an anti-fashion streetwear brand - in 2014. Vetements’ dependency on creating viral moments are principles that Demna carried with him to Balenciaga when he joined in 2015. Whilst his iteration of the House still depended on House codes such as a-line dresses and broad-shoulders, he dramatised them and departed from the heritage even more than his predecessors, transforming it into a curated version of streetwear, which some regard as ugly.

Balenciaga Potato Chip Bag. Courtesy of Balenciaga.

Balenciaga Speed Sneakers. Courtesy of Balenciaga.

Kim Kardashian Met Gala 2021. Courtesy of Mike Coppola.

In 2021, he reopened the Couture line for the first time since Cristóbal’s retirement, creating a beautiful collection that reenvisioned some of Balenciaga’s original designs. Such as the amphora dress, first created in 1959 and reimagined on Bella Hadid in 2021.

Balenciaga Fall Couture 2022. Courtesy of Vogue Runway.

Balenciaga Amphora Dress 1957. Courtesy of Balenciaga archives.

Despite straying from the refined elegance of its founder, Balenciaga remains an undeniable titan in the fashion world. Ranked as the seventh most popular brand by Lyst in the second quarter of 2024, it's as influential as ever. Even in the face of Demna’s controversial "ugly fashion," the House is a masterclass of reinvention and continues to shape the future of style.

Featured Image Courtesy of Louise Dahl-Wolfe