Demna Zeroes in on Cristóbal Signatures for Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024
Not long ago, Demna pledged a return to "the art of making clothes." On Wednesday, the Balenciaga creative director affirmed his commitment at the brand's Haute Couture Fall 2024 presentation.
The collection is like a bridge across time, as Demna zeroes in on "permanent components" from Cristóbal Balenciaga's last twenty years, per the show notes. He pinpoints and riffs on four specific elements: three-quarter length sleeves, cocoon silhouettes, ostentatious millinery and fabric innovation. The Georgian designer, of course, put his spin on these mid-century design traits, incorporating his signature subversive streetwear influence.
"This couture collection is a tribute to subculture dress codes as important influences on my fashion vocabulary, in order to create a bridge between Balenciaga's signature elegance and silhouette and my own personal style," Demna wrote, in the show notes.
The result includes lots of exaggerated silhouettes, couture-ified T-shirts and dramatic headwear, including butterfly veils inspired by the art of Yumi Okita. Fabric innovation is wear the house really boasts its savoir-faire, especially as it elevates everyday textiles and pieces into the extraordinary — for example, a blue "fur" coat is actually crafted out of synthetic wigs and took two and a half months for hairstylist Gary Gill to create; a white column gown is made from plastic bags, molded onto the body, with some of the old graphics faintly visible. Each look channels Cristóbal Balenciaga's distinct techniques while modernizing them and imbuing them with a provocative feeling, something that's distinctly Demna.
Keep scrolling to see every look from Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024.
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
Balenciaga Haute Couture Fall 2024. Photo: Courtesy of Balenciaga
