Past and Present Collide in Balenciaga’s Mad-Scientist Couture Collection
Fashion has always tapped into teen subcultures, from ’60s mods and teddy boys to the billion TikTok-driven -cores of the 2020s. However, those fashion niches, as rich a vein of mood board inspiration as they are, rarely find their way into haute couture.
But for Balenciaga’s fall 2024 collection, shown today in Paris in front of an audience that included Katy Perry, Nicole Kidman, and Michelle Yeoh, creative director Demna placed groups like goths, skaters, and metalheads center stage. He mashed up those styles, which he called “important influences [on] my fashion vocabulary,” with the Cristóbal Balenciaga codes of midcentury couture, including oversized cocoon shapes, three-quarter-length sleeves, and wrap jackets, along with oversized statement hats and models brandishing old-school look numbers. In his show notes, Demna called the collection a “bridge” between his personal style and Balenciaga’s legacy.
The house founder is legendary for his material innovations, and that spirit of experimentation found its way into items that rarely cross the threshold of a couture atelier. Take, for instance, plastic bags and aluminum foil, upcycled and elevated into one-of-a-kind made-to-measure creations. Or a single bolt of black leather fastened with only a safety pin into a seamless gown.
Even the longstanding tradition of the couture bride got an update. Only in Demna’s case, it was an “ephemeral” piece meant to be worn only once. The process melded fashion with performance art: Right up to the minute of the show, the studio’s petits mains were draping the final look, a black nylon dress, directly onto the model, a process that took a half hour.
In that spirit, several artists found their way into the collection, whether as collaborators or inspirations. Abdelhak Benallou hand-painted a hoodie and T-shirt, while Ni Hao and Alastair Gibson collaborated on hats. And the hand-embroidered butterfly veils were inspired by the work of artist Yumi Okita, who often uses the motif in her work. The metamorphosis metaphors write themselves.
You Might Also Like
