Balenciaga SS25: Demna’s love for fashion

Demna has come a long way from drawing clothes on cardboard cutouts and hosting “fashion shows” on his grandma’s kitchen table. On September 30, the mononymous artistic director, now in his ninth year at Balenciaga, returned to Paris Fashion Week to unveil his Summer 25 collection. Models, including Chinese supermodel Liu Wen, strutted down a runway designed to resemble a 47-meter-long wooden table, serving up one delicious look after the next. And ready to feast their eyes were A-listers galore. Balenciaga ambassadors Nicole Kidman and PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn – the latter an especially hot topic on Chinese social media – graced the front row, joined by singer Katy Perry and American actress Lindsay Lohan. Chinese actor Zhou You and Chinese actress Sun Yi were also in attendance. “Thirty-five years later, this show reconnects me to the beginning of my vision. It’s a tribute to fashion that has a point of view,” Demna wrote in his show notes. And if there’s anything Demna has mastered during his Balenciaga tenure, it’s getting his point across – seamlessly translating sketches into runway shows. As a result, Summer 25 was anything but ordinary. Eclectic and exaggerated, sexy yet strong, the show playfully subverted traditional luxury while highlighting the designer’s enduring focus on tailoring, structure, and craftsmanship. An invitation to love But the theatrics started even before the show. As part of the invitation, guests received a custom-made golden ring engraved with their name and the show date. The unspoken question of “Will you marry me?” seemed to invite guests to commit to the brand while renewing Demna’s lifelong vow to fashion. “The Balenciaga’s Summer 25 invitation is a ring symbolizing that Demna is married to fashion,” Saba Bakhia, creator of @Demnagram, posted on Instagram. “It’s a souvenir of an event that guests can keep and wear. Demna wanted to have a size that fits most of the people but could also be worn differently if it didn’t [fit] the finger as a necklace or charm.” With the show’s theme evoking the warmth of being welcomed into someone’s home, the romantic invitation deepened the brand’s intimacy with its guests. Balenciaga has become known for its creative show invitations. For its Spring 25 presentation in Shanghai last May, the Kering brand gifted porcelain xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) in a bamboo steamer basket and win-win cakes (a specialty symbolizing good fortune and celebration) from a local eatery. Prior to that, it sent out a lost wallet, wads of fake cash, and an energy bar, teasing recipients with what was to come. Reimagining haute couture with subversive elements Unsurprisingly, anticipation at Paris Fashion Week was high. Set to Amy Irving’s Broadway jazz classic, Why Don’t You Do It Right, Balenciaga’s Summer 25 show kicked off slow and sensually. Opening looks included a skin-tone bodysuit and pantashoes in the form of garter stockings, lacy bras paired with glittery leggings, and giant Mob Wife-esque fake fur coat, perhaps a nod to the recent underwear-as-outerwear trend. As the show unfolded, more layers appeared. The trompe-loeil lingerie detailing bodysuits gave way to ruched dresses and black turtleneck gowns that appeared business-as-usual from the front. However, a second glance revealed open backs adorned with crisscrossing corsets and maxi ribbons that trailed across the stage, causing eyes to linger a little longer. Denim made a big appearance, from torn chap jeans to oversized jackets. In particular, super low-rise bootcut jeans and striped polos screamed the 2000s. Yet, when paired with new items from Summer 25 – such as oversized basketball sneakers, a 360 mask, buckle pendant chain choker, Signora earrings, and the Nano bag – and it was clear this was far from your naughties wardrobe. And that seemed to be an overarching theme: a reimagining of the mundane. Retro with a rebellious twist. Highlighting Demna’s distinctive approach to restructuring garments, the show then showcased oversized hoodies, cropped puffer jackets, and layers upon layers of outerwear, tied around the waist or tucked under the arms. When paired with see-through caps pulled over models’ faces, these looks glamorized the messy and imperfect, bringing everyday wearability into modern couture while maintaining high-end craftsmanship. As Demna told editors post-show, “I like a mess when it is organized. Fashion must be so perfect, polished and impeccable — from clothes to how we sell. But to me, fashion needs to get messed up, f-cked up and thrown into places and not based on fear.” Paying homage to the classics Dramatic silhouettes also punctuated the collection, particularly toward the end. Oversized coat collars extended above the ears,and the stiff denim was molded into the Medici-style stand collar, starched jeans were transformed into jacket lapels, and evening wear featured armor-like shoulder structures – a striking juxtaposition to the show’s barely-there opening looks. The final three outfits paid homage to designs from Cristóbal Balenciaga’s era, honoring the legacy of Mr Balenciaga himself. This included a cropped DB Spencer jacket adorned with signature buttons, paired with a sleek black satin gown that fuses the brand’s iconic hourglass silhouette with semi-fitted lines. The expertly crafted optical illusion of a narrow waistline that broadens toward the back showcases Balenciaga’s innovative tailoring. Shifting from Irving’s slow jazz beat to Bfrnd’s remix of Britney Spears’ 2007 banger Gimme More, a manic energy filled the air, amplifying the rebellious aesthetic of the collection. As the lyrics “Gimme more” repeated for the last 40 looks, Demna stirred a craving for fashion in the audience that was both intense and insatiable. He also hinted at pressures in the industry when he told editors: “What I wanted to say with Gimme More is that everyone always wants more, and people want so much more from you.” Since designing clothes in his grandma’s kitchen three decades ago, Demna’s love for fashion has remained palpable. He continues to eschew conventional high fashion in favor of the inelegant and unpredictable. Embracing bold design elements like optical illusions, architectural forms, and exaggerated silhouettes, he pushes the boundaries of luxury, leaving guests hungry for more. At the same, he pays homage to Cristóbal Balenciaga’s legacy, innovating within the realm of haute couture.

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Balenciaga SS25: Demna’s love for fashion