As Demna Gvasalia returns to his true self, igniting his flair, it’s also when joy and humor are rediscovered at the French fashion house, Balenciaga.
After a self-redemption narrative expressed through numerous serious collections, focusing on exploring the core values of fashion – bespoke craftsmanship, Demna Gvasalia finally makes a comeback! The Pre-Fall 2024 showcase, gathering representatives of a glamorous Hollywood, served as the first shot, paving the way for Balenciaga Fall 2024 within the framework of Paris Fashion Week. Despite being a move following controversial advertising campaigns, the consensus among us is that when Demna gets serious, Balenciaga simultaneously becomes mundane. Demna this, Demna that, Demna ruining the classical legacy left by Cristóbal Balenciaga. However, we cannot deny that Demna’s presence has helped the long-standing French fashion house expand its brand recognition, becoming one of the leading names in direct conversation with contemporary fashion. That talented creative director gives clothes a special power – empowering wearers to boldly express themselves and have a “voice” in society. They signify, resist injustices, and address social issues, much like how Demna employs his unmatched imagination and creative thinking to defy traditional fashion.
That noble mission was once again articulated in 68 complete looks. Returning to his true self, Demna made the fashion world curious about his show from the invitations to the illuminated runway. Balenciaga Fall 2024 invites viewers with a parcel from eBay, inside which lies a distinct vintage item, personally selected by Demna. It could be a snow globe from someone’s forgotten holiday, a singular fork, or perhaps a spoon from a long-lost lover’s kitchen drawer. Each invitation carries the weight of untold stories and promises to connect us with the emotional essence of humanity. Each item, a talisman from someone’s past, now serves as a gateway to a luxurious fashion experience.
In a world questioning “What is luxury?” and amid ongoing crises regarding the importance of fashion, Balenciaga represents Demna’s decision with a high-stakes gamble, “What can I buy for under $20 on eBay?” Demna engaged in a conversation with the media: “As you know, I like to ask questions about things that are important to me through my work, and some questions I’ve been thinking about recently are: What is extravagance? What is fashion and why is it important? Who am I doing this for? Is fashion enough? In an information-overloaded world, does the concept of ‘enough’ still exist? What is ‘enough’? The important part isn’t necessarily finding the answer but the process of asking questions. By definition, extravagance is a rare luxury, something not always readily available. What seems truly rare and limited nowadays is creativity. I believe creativity has secretly become a new form of extravagance. I want this show to reflect the relationship between Balenciaga’s past and future, as a place that values creativity.”
As Demna shared, Balenciaga Fall 2024 began with silhouettes and ideas directly inspired by Cristobal’s heritage and evolved into deeper experiments with what has made Demna’s name: reimagining the concept of beauty, honing a style that the masses can immediately recognize, and considering how the body interacts with clothing. “This collection speaks to an aesthetic that I’ve developed in fashion over the past ten years. It’s also the importance of fashion to me,” Demna said.
This season, Balenciaga shattered the core foundation of luxury fashion, once again proving that luxury is not solely determined by the exclusivity of premium materials but also by boldness in non-conforming layering compositions, much like the randomness on eBay. Imagine yourself strutting down the street in a $3,000 outfit, only to find out it’s a “collection” of $10 T-shirts and $20 jeans meticulously stacked by Demna to create diverse styles ranging from casual wear to evening attire. It’s not just fashion; it’s an “archeological excavation” through eBay’s timeline, uncovering forgotten wardrobes to tailor clothing for the elite. It’s not merely recycling old garments into new ones; it’s a process of “re-luxifying” what should have been discarded into coveted pieces desired by the fashion world.
Demna’s redefined notion of luxury is contextualized in a simulated environment of our information-overloaded lives. The show space is filled with short videos akin to those on TikTok, featuring diverse content from various themes worldwide. The information overload chaos in the show venue screams, “We’re on the brink of apocalypse, but at least we’ll dress stylishly.” It resembles a scene from a sci-fi movie before the hero dies, a doomsday of sorts orchestrated by Demna for the fashion world to indulge in.
Contrary to the tense, suffocating atmosphere of the show, Demna releases models onto the runway leisurely, ignoring life’s worries, chewing gum, wearing silicon masks with a futuristic taste, preparing mentally to enter a world “overfed” by data. Their appearances still carry the trademark whimsy. They are long dresses made from a series of hoodies or T-shirts; jackets, shirts, and blazers worn like aprons or pinafores; shirts crafted from a dusty old pair of jeans as well as sweatpants.
Balenciaga’s men also indulge in oversized sportswear, Gothic oversized styles with classical flair, oversized coats, padded at the shoulders, draped loosely like a silk bathrobe; underneath are T-shirts with entertaining quotes, serving both as entertainment and a promotional tool for the brand – “Keep Calm and Wear This Balenciaga Sweater.” Balenciaga also turns eBay into a bona fide fashion brand by placing its logo on the left chest of a black T-shirt. Equally intriguing in the collection are the “frozen” pleated dresses, as if vacuum-sealed and worn by the models.
The familiar exaggerated puffiness of silhouettes is now absent on the runway; instead, they’ve relinquished the spotlight to the spectacularly creative layering ensembles. Demna has models wear a bunch of randomly bought clothes layered not according to proportion, color, or material but primarily based on preferences. It’s a bold statement about wealth, a rebellion against the constraints of traditional fashion, where creativity becomes recognized as opulence. The sturdy, squarely padded shoulders are also not presented in the usual shape but debut as “hip-aulettes,” inspired by the classic structure of founder Cristóbal Balenciaga. The shoulder pads command more attention when they’re shifted down to the hips, peeking beneath evening gowns.
Taking place in a chaotic information space, yet the audience follows the show until the last moments to recognize bold accents in design lines, material mixing, and silhouettes. The seams in the latter looks are replaced with adhesive tape wrapped around the body; or a cocktail dress made from a scarf, a bit of a bikini, and underwear.
While some looks are created from a handbag, a backpack worn backward, or a familiar storage bag. If Demna previously stirred up the online community with a leather dress pieced together from the brand’s iconic bag, in Balenciaga Fall 2024, all eyes in the fashion world are focused on a lingerie dress in the truest sense.
