Demna, the creative director of Balenciaga, delivered a clear message backstage at the brand’s latest show: “The time has come for fashion to have a point of view.” This message was echoed throughout the collection, presented in a darkened room with a polished dining table serving as the runway. The audience, a mix of editors, celebrities, and industry leaders, watched as Demna’s vision unfolded.
Drawing inspiration from his childhood memories of playing with clothes in his grandmother’s dining room, Demna’s collection was far from naive. A significant portion of it centered on the cocoon silhouette, a signature element of Cristóbal Balenciaga, the brand’s founder. However, Demna put a modern twist on this iconic shape. He applied it to cropped puffers and bombers, popular among younger generations, and paired them with jeans that hugged the body tightly.
The collection further explored the boundaries of style with pieces that reflected Cristóbal Balenciaga’s striking sculptural lines but pushed experimentation further. One standout piece for men featured a “Medici collar from the 17th century,” which was actually a cleverly engineered corset incorporated into the neckline. The women’s counterpart was a similar jacket, worn as a leather bustier top.
Demna continued to challenge conventional fashion norms by presenting looks that were ingeniously multi-purpose. For example, in looks 49 and 50, starched jeans stood in for turned-up lapels, creating a truly unique and unexpected silhouette. Through these bold choices, Demna presented a collection that both celebrated the past and embraced the future, proving that fashion, at its best, can be a powerful statement of individuality and a reflection of our times.
