After 10 years of ruffling feathers at Balenciaga, Demna went out just like he came in: with a fair share of controversy. For the first time in his decade at the Maison, the Georgian designer came out to thank the crowd. Backstage, he said he owed it to the people. This gratitude punctuated the show—literally, in a soundtrack listing the names of his team, and figuratively, in what he sent down the runway.
A series of structured sets walked out first, starting in a simple iteration, then evolving into jackets and coats with lapels flipped outward. The silhouette—seen in black, red, and polka-dot—is a favourite of the designer, repeated throughout his decade at Balenciaga. Isabelle Huppert followed in an impossibly elegant fitted sweater and pants. The high neck, the bag swinging from Huppert’s arm, the pointy heels: as always, Demna’s parodies are as accurate as they are chic.
His fascination with old-school Hollywood glamour was on full display. Kim Kardashian wore a replica of Elizabeth Taylor’s dress from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, adorned with the actual diamonds Taylor wore. A tribute to the founder of the Maison came in the form of a houndstooth coat. Many online still like to fantasise about what Cristóbal Balenciaga would have thought of Demna’s tenure. To them, we say: he’s dead. The industry has evolved, the world has changed. It’s possible to appreciate technical artistry and cultural commentary simultaneously.
Of course, Demna needs no defence; the designer made a career pushing the boundaries, upsetting both critics and the public. The similarly triggering casual wear that came after is proof of it. For a couture collection, showing windbreakers and bomber jackets might be considered sinful, but for Demna, it’s imperative. He made it his mission to bring couture into the real world, beyond the salons in which the collection was shown.
For his final Balenciaga offering, Demna synthesised his entire approach to the French Maison. It wasn’t a Rolodex of his greatest hits, but a summary of his greatest achievement: changing the parameters by which we think of fashion. And even though we admit our love for Demna outright, the fact remains: he has been one of the most influential designers of the last decade. We grieve the end of an era, but are just as excited for the beginning of the next. What will the upcoming decade look like for Demna? For Gucci? For the industry?
Words by Pedro Vasconcelos
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