More fashion, less provocation-a new era for Balenciaga

As is well known, the industry does not forget for a long time. It’s been a couple of months since the scandal over the brand’s inappropriate campaign, which almost doomed it in the eyes of the whole world. Headlines accusing the brand of promoting pedophiles still remain hot. Because of this, Balenciaga, after withdrawing the campaign and making an official apology, withdrew from the media for a while. Some even assumed that this was the end of the iconic brand.

The brand showed up at Paris Fashion Week, fully aware that the entire fashion world was waiting for it to stumble. And that’s why she decided to go minimalist this time. The standard spectacular setting of the show was replaced by a simple set design. The focus was primarily on clothing. “Fashion has become a kind of entertainment, but often this part overshadows its essence.” – proclaimed one of the guest notes left at the show venues. Could it be that Balenciaga has embarked on a path of redemption? Or is this just a purely media strategy to divert attention from its past reputation?

Undisguised image

Even long before last year’s scandal, Balenciaga was famous for its reputation as a brand known for pushing fashion boundaries. Presenting their Experimental designs, such as sneakers from the “Full Destroyed” collection was met with a very mixed response from the media. Nevertheless, in terms of turnover and products sold, it seemed that this image was serving the brand. Almost every Balenciaga experiment , ended up selling out every single piece. It is also worth noting that consumers were able to pay astronomical sums for the clothes and accessories on display, which were extremely often deliberately distorted.

And although for a long time The label sold better than the product itself, The latest campaign put an end to these experiments. Balenciaga, which usually shocked, this time crossed the line of social acceptance. So it seems that With his soft comeback and the completely new nature of the show, I want to rehabilitate myself in the eyes of the people. Certainly, the abandonment of controversial tools may be the beginning of this. But can Balenciaga still be the same brand, emphasizing simplicity rather than originality? We will probably find out in the near future.

What was Balenciaga’s fall/winter 2023 collection like?

As we said, during the Paris Fashion WeekThe brand has eschewed dramatic solutions, Such as a mud run or a staged snowstorm. This season, the setting was minimalist, and the catwalk itself appeared to be a sheer ivory carpet. The show itself, in turn, was an event space in the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center, which until the early 2000s served as a frequent venue for fashion shows.

The current creative director, Demna Gvasalia, shows that the brand still has a lot to show from the pure clothing side. The collection included 54 styles . Among other things, there were clearly tailored suits, evening gowns and a new handbag called the Huge Bag. Soft and feminine touches could be seen, which made the collection more human and pleasant to look at.

Nevertheless, it still exuded the spirit of the brand, and there was no shortage of classic motifs, such as, sequined gowns with high necklines, boxy leather jackets, huge layers of denim, or sunglasses with worm eyes.

The models walked the runway clad in a somewhat amusing mix of floral dresses, distinctive structured tailoring and elements lifted vividly from street fashion. The brand’s streetwear influence was evident, for example, in the addition of a hoodie with puffed forms sewn into the sleeves. The entire show was accompanied by calm piano notes, which became increasingly electronic as the show went on.

“The idea was to be 200 percent me.” – Demna told reporters backstage after the show. “My idea was to clean it up, to edit it to the point where it speaks for itself,” he says. The show presented by Balenciage was certainly a step in repairing the brand’s damaged image. Let’s hope it’s not the last.