Balenciaga pushes boundaries at Paris Fashion Week

What happened Balenciaga took over the historic Dome des Invalides for its Winter 24 show at the tail-end of Paris Fashion Week. In this partnership piece, we look at how the runway unfolded and how over 42 million fans in China tuned in to the March 3 show livestream. Attendees, including brand ambassadors Kim Kardashian and Thai actor and singer PP Krit, along with Chinese actress Yang Chaoyue, singer Bibi Zhou and actress Sun Qian, received invites in the form of gifts selected by Demna from eBay. eBay insignia T-shirts were later spotted slouching down the Balenciaga runway. As Artistic Director Demna celebrates 10 years of fashion disruption — eight of those at the helm of Balenciaga — his latest collection continues to explore his existential itch: what are fashion and luxury today? The show opened with leopard and aqua evening gowns that nodded to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s “hip-aulette” (shoulder pads sewn into the hip) construction, and evolved into the sartorially subversive aesthetic we have come to expect from Demna’s Balenciaga. Cue defiantly disheveled suits with floor-skimming coats and maxi scarfs; Balenciaga dustbags and backpacks upcycled into tops and dresses; and multi-waistband pants and jackets held together with scotch tape. The unconventional lineup concluded with a swishy gown created entirely of underwear. Accessories were the undisputed stars of the show. Balenciaga’s signature futuristic eyewear of recent seasons has evolved into dystopian face shields with cut-out ear openings. Beanies extended all the way down to the models’ nose rings. Bangles came with attached phone holders. Meanwhile, ripped-tight pantashoes (a Demna signature) and Louis XV slippers with exaggerated bow appliques continued Balenciaga’s tradition of oh-so-dramatic footwear. The Jing Take With 42 million livestream viewers in China, Balenciaga is clearly still pulling in fans across the nation. “[Through its scarcity…] creativity has secretly become a new form of luxury,” Denma said ahead of the show. “I wanted this show to represent a link between the past and the future of Balenciaga as a house based on creative value … evolving into further experimentation with the ideas that make up my body of work: the rethinking of the concept of beauty, the forging of an immediately recognizable style, and the consideration of how the body interacts with garments.” A far cry from the red velvet pageantry of the label’s Summer 24 show, the stage was surrounded by LED screens tracking a narrative timeline from morning to night over natural and electronic landscapes. As the show progressed, artificial elements intensified through splicing and scrolling, matched by a high-energy soundtrack of rhythms and synths. Against this digital backdrop, the models’ large visors, AirPods and maxi coats appeared like a fashion forcefield. Balenciaga has a big following of lucrative Gen Z luxury consumers in China. Demna’s cultural questioning and anti-establishment attitude resonate with this generation, which considers luxury items as personal expression, rather than status symbols. At a time when consumers are bombarded with effusive brand storylines, Balenciaga’s voice aligns with a more rebellious zeitgeist and is seen by many as refreshing and authentic. Viewer comments on Chinese social media channels discussed the “anti-utopia” of the digital era and Balenciaga’s eBay collab. The vintage-style “inside-out” eBay embroidered T-shirt was one of the selected looks that Balenciaga fans could shop immediately after the livestream show on the Chinese official website, priced at a cool 4,700 RMB ($653). Fans also commented on Chinese model Liu Wen, who walked in the Paris show wearing one of the more elegant looks from the collection. Talk now turns to Balenciaga’s Spring 25 show, which the brand recently announced will be held in Shanghai. Balenciaga is part of a small group of luxury brands redefining traditional fashion calendars by showcasing mid-season collections worldwide. Scheduled for May 30, the show is a clear message of commitment to China. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Balenciaga pushes boundaries at Paris Fashion Week

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Published March 05, 2024

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Balenciaga pushes boundaries at Paris Fashion Week