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Demna’s original intention, the future of Balenciaga

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For fashion designers or any expresser, chasing the stage is an instinct

Creativity is the way out for luxury brands.

The artistic director of the French luxury brand Balenciaga, Demna, wrote in the notes of the Summer 25 collection released yesterday that my earliest memory of fashion comes from the kitchen table at my grandmother’s house. When I was a child, I liked to sit there, draw some design sketches on cardboard, and then cut and make patterns to make clothes, pretending to stage a kitchen fashion show.

He said: “Today, 35 years later, this fashion show takes me back to the origin of my dream, paying tribute to the fashionable expression of attitude.”

The show transformed the dining table into a catwalk. On this 47-meter-long dining table, the star-studded lineup and invited guests were able to enjoy this fashion feast up close. When people looked up and watched the models walk past the dining table in front of them, the sense of deep participation provided by this fashion show surpassed its peers, and also reminded people of the unique experiences created by this brand in past series such as the Summer 22 collection red carpet show and the Summer 23 collection mud show.

But the creation of this kind of experience is not just for the on-site guests to gather happily together, but rather hides the “attitude” that Demna mentioned.

Demna’s earliest memory of fashion comes from the kitchen table at his grandmother’s house

The distinguished celebrity guests take their seats, seemingly superior. They are picky diners, sitting with crossed legs, waiting to evaluate and consume the new season’s fashion collection. The models file out. They are living humans, yet they have been alienated into commodities by the modern luxury goods business society.

The opening looks are a series of trompe l’oeil lingerie with appliqués, embroideries and knitted jacquards, with a medieval corset-style lacing at the back. The intimate lingerie designs and the lacing place the audience in a privileged position.

The opening looks are a series of trompe l’oeil lingerie with appliqués, embroideries and knitted jacquards

But at the same time, Demna has the models step on the dining table, looking down from above. They enhance their presence through oversized coats, and through headwear and hat accessories, they manage to remain anonymous. Although being watched and evaluated, they do not actually submit to this power relationship. Fashion and fashion designers have become commodities, and this submission, just like the bodysuit with the pattern of underwear printed on it, is an optical illusion and misjudgment from the public.

On one sweatshirt is written “Fashion Designer”, and immediately after, on another sweatshirt is written “Human”. Demna seems to be using subtle clues to try to remind people of a fact that is overly obvious yet long forgotten. Fashion designers should be treated as real humans. They expose their most private and vulnerable parts to the world, and this is a right that they have voluntarily surrendered for a long time, allowing the audience to judge and hurt them.

Balenciaga Summer 25 Collection

This immersive table show undoubtedly breaks the simple viewing and being-viewed relationship between the audience and fashion, and allows a subtle conflict to constitute the force field of this fashion show.

Only by feeling with one’s heart can one see the huge irony hidden behind.

The background music is Britney Spears’ hit single “Gimme More” from 2007, remixed by BFRND. This song not only brings people back to the millennial mood of 17 years ago but also reminds people of the personal difficulties Britney Spears experienced around the release of “Gimme More”.

2007 is considered the most difficult year in Britney Spears’ life. In that year, Britney Spears had a mental breakdown in public, shaved her own hair in front of the camera, behaved abnormally and was sent for rehab. The production and release of the “Blackout” album coincided with the time when the media was overwhelmingly reporting on Britney Spears’ personal predicament. Many people believe that the attention to her work was thus overshadowed by these reports. And the lyrics of “Gimme More” also caused controversy as soon as they were released. Every move of Britney Spears could make it to the entertainment newspapers.

On one side is an allusion to the predicament of celebrities, and on the other is the most powerful lineup of celebrity guests for Balenciaga in recent seasons. Brand ambassador Nicole Kidman, the representative of the millennial generation Lindsay Lohan, the wife of the chairman of Kering Group and well-known actress Salma Hayek, pop singer Katy Perry, rapper Future, supermodel Naomi Campbell, actor Zhou You who has made a mark in international film festivals, and actor Sun Yi who is trying a cool and sassy style, etc… This is not the complete list of guests.

Some comments claim that this powerful lineup of celebrities indirectly proves that Balenciaga has overcome the most difficult period. In the past year, the brand has announced that Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, Isabelle Huppert, PP Krit, and Michelle Yeoh are brand ambassadors, attracting widespread attention in the market.

From left to right are Naomi Campbell, Future and Nicole Kidman

This is precisely the contrast that Demna deliberately creates. You want more, more, more, and I’ll give you more.

In fashion, Demna continues his innovation in clothing silhouettes, presenting more refreshing designs beyond the classic Hourglass silhouette. Firstly, the Summer 25 collection focuses on the back design. In addition to the numerous corset strap designs in the first part of the runway show, the collection also features many novel-shaped bustiers with special back designs, like huge bracelets gently wrapped around the upper body.

Secondly, this series has launched numerous down items and inflatable silhouette jackets, exploring a lighter texture for Balenciaga’s typical oversized silhouette. These jackets create a visual contrast with the ultra-low-waist pants and close-fitting underwear, strengthening the classic styling combination of the brand in the past few seasons.

In addition, the Summer 25 series pairs boot-cut jeans with ultra-short shorts or close-fitting underwear, along with head-wrapping jackets and face accessories, exposing only the upper part of the thighs, experimenting with new body proportions. While the jeans are suspended around the neck like a scarf, the model uses a cap to cover the entire face, which is another attempt to shield the face after the sunglasses and face accessories.

Demna continues his innovation in clothing silhouettes and launches more designs with a strong sense of freshness

In terms of craftsmanship, in addition to modern materials such as chloroprene rubber lining and elastic spandex nylon, the Summer 25 series also invests in traditional craftsmanship such as embroidery, jacquard, and lace, seemingly attempting to establish a stronger connection between Balenciaga and haute couture houses.

In terms of product categories, this season Balenciaga focuses on jeans and structured jackets, strengthens underwear design, and continues with previously iconic items such as trench coats, pleated dresses, and deconstructed dresses. Besides the strong item T-shirt, Demna’s reinterpretation of the polo shirt, which has always been regarded as old-fashioned, is also surprising.

Balenciaga attempts to establish a stronger connection with haute couture houses

Many details are presented just to prove that Demna has indeed presented something new in the Summer 25 collection in terms of silhouette, styling, and product categories. When a seasoned art director who has been at the helm for nearly a decade has sufficient motivation to deliver creative results, the outcome is often positive. However, the problem lies in the current market environment that comprehensively suppresses the creative motivation of creators.

Unrestrainedly demanding the Artistic Director to produce, yet polluting the environment that nurtures inspiration. In this series, Demna delivers more creativity, vaguely revealing a proof of “if he wants, he can”. However, what he is dissatisfied with is the luxury industry that points all problems at the Artistic Director and endlessly demands from fashion designers.

However, just when people’s emotions reached a climax, the lights suddenly dimmed, the fashion show ended, and there was no complete curtain call by the models. Everything came to an abrupt halt. This is Demna’s “attitude”. He creates vengefully but doesn’t want people to always feel overly satisfied.

In an unsatisfactory market situation, to keep everything going as healthily as possible, only by constantly reaffirming the original intention.

One should persist in creation while also opposing industry chaos. Demna thus remembered the dining table from 35 years ago. At that time, his display platform was only about one square meter. Now, it is the venue of the Invalides, a historical and cultural building in Paris, with the longest dining table in history.

The picture shows Demna’s notes on the Summer 25 collection

For fashion designers or any expresser, chasing the stage is an instinct. No matter how big or small the stage is, it can support the continuous growth of a dream about creative expression.

There has never been a perfect world. The interference and support of capital for creativity are two sides of the same coin, which is the rule of the industry’s operation, and creativity will inevitably coexist with it. In any case, the contemporary luxury industry has helped fashion designers like Demna gain an unprecedented showcase platform, connect with a wider audience, and create a strong resonance.

In an increasingly uncertain world, it is more important to adjust one’s mindset. For Demna, when he is in this most watched position, the only reason that allows him to persist is his dedication to self-expression.

This is by no means an excessive interpretation of the psychology of creative directors. The changes in the luxury goods industry over the past four years have proved that the mental state of creative directors closely affects creative output. The macro environment lacking inspiration and sales pressure have led to the overall creative weakness and conservatism in the luxury goods industry.

In fact, the creative industry only prefers two market sentiments: extreme optimism or extreme pessimism. It most avoids the numb middle state like a frog being slowly boiled in warm water.

The picture shows Demna, the artistic director of Balenciaga

The current market slump is bad for the luxury goods industry, but perhaps good for creativity, as many meaningful creative ideas are born out of struggle. Demna’s clear expression of the original intention of fashion in the Summer 25 collection, as well as the hidden ironic attitude, makes people feel the rarely seen expressive force recently.

After the global luxury industry experienced an overall cooling this year, judging from the four major fashion weeks of this season, it seems that creative directors are showing signs of a rebound, especially those brands that have received positive feedback after withstanding pressure. They have a clearer understanding of the necessity of insisting on doing the right things, thereby creating a gap with other brands.

Demna has been in office for ten years, and his personal design style cannot be said to be completely free from controversy to this day. What is reflected from him is that the survival rule of this era is to dance with controversy and give up the intention to satisfy everyone. And it has been two years since the controversial incident of Balenciaga. While the brand image is gradually being restored, the success of the brand’s product strategy occurred almost simultaneously.

When many luxury handbag categories entered a bottleneck period, many people did not expect that Balenciaga could go against the trend and gain an advantage with handbags.

In addition to reviving the brand’s once-famous Le City motorcycle bag and inviting supermodel Kate Moss to present it, the brand’s Rodeo handbag has also become a new popular handbag, with over 10,000 notes on Xiaohongshu. Since then, Balenciaga has followed up with the Bel Air series in the Winter 24 collection, inviting Michelle Yeoh, Isabelle Huppert, and actress Naomi Watts to shoot the advertisement. Currently, it has received a positive initial response in the market.

Meanwhile, Balenciaga’s traditional advantages in the sneaker and casual ready-to-wear categories set it apart from other luxury brands that rely on leather goods and accessories. It is almost foreseeable that the sales of jackets and trousers will increase after this show. Coupled with the efforts in the handbag category, they jointly promote the brand to form a more complete and balanced product matrix, which is the invisible driving force supporting the brand’s long-term stable development.

Michelle Yeoh and other celebrities appear to interpret the Bel Air series

Therefore, the real market is often counter-intuitive. Many successes are often due to returning to the basics in creativity and business. Beyond the uncertainties of the external environment, more brands follow the trend and deviate from the right track, making the original intention a true luxury.

To celebrate the European Heritage Days 2024, Balenciaga held an exhibition titled “Les Subtilités d’un Dialogue” in Paris a week before the show. It showcases the clothing designs of the brand’s founder, Cristóbal Balenciaga, and the artistic director, Demna, attracting the attention of tens of thousands of public visitors. The exhibition takes a close look at the designs of Cristóbal Balenciaga and Demna from aspects such as collars, sleeves, colors, waists, and backs, and initiates a dialogue on macroscopic themes from microscopic details.

Demna’s designs may initially seem far removed from the aesthetics of Balenciaga’s founding period, but they have formed an effective connection through refinement and integration over the past decade. Now, they can be placed in harmony with the works of the brand’s founder in the same space. This is a natural sedimentation brought by time. In fact, today’s designers do not need to restrain themselves to be relevant to the established fashion houses.

The original intention and the future are synonyms. Since its establishment in 1917, Balenciaga has been able to exist for 107 years. The brand already contains the gene of firmly looking towards the future, and the cooperation with Demna is an inevitable result of history. Although Kering Group has never announced the performance data of other brands in its other divisions, according to estimates by Bernstein analysts, Balenciaga’s total revenue is approximately 2.5 billion euros, accounting for 64.5% of the total revenue of its division.

Kering Group has placed Balenciaga under other brand divisions so far. Perhaps this is a strategic protection. When the time is ripe, the growth engine will suddenly emerge, giving the market a boost.

This day may be just around the corner.