Balenciaga: Demna’s ingetogen laatste couturecollectie

Demna’s last bending at Balenciaga was not spectacular, but modest. A word that is rarely associated with the designer who has again defined the fashion house for almost ten years. The 54th Haute Couture collection of the fashion house, shown in Paris on Wednesday, was both a personal farewell and a statement of return: to construction, silhouette and the studio.

The designer born in Georgia, who is now preparing to take over the creative leadership at Gucci, leaves a Balenciaga that is radically different from the house he inherited in 2015. Under his leadership, the turnover of the brand has more than fivefold, according to HSBC analysts. Parent company Kering reported that Balenciaga was one of the fastest growing brands in the years before the Pandemie. Demna transformed the label into a cultural superpower, which often called up controversy, but always attracted attention.

However, this collection avoided provocation and opted for refinement. The show, held in the Balenciaga couturesalons on the Avenue George V, showed both men’s and ladies’ socks and opened with sculptural tailor art: angular shoulders, waspentailles and long jackets, characteristic of Demna’s style. But here they were performed with a restraint that indicated adulthood. There was nothing to see of the ironic logo game or the meme-worthy accessories of previous seasons, except perhaps the golden briefcase in the penultimate look. Instead, the emphasis was on cut, proportion and precision, with many items of clothing for hundreds of hours of meticulous handicrafts in the studio.

“These were real clothes,” noted a fashion insider, “not just statements.”

Indeed, craftsmanship – not concept – stole the show. The expertise of the studio was shown in Coutureleer, elegant coats and sculptural dresses that joined as a turtle pussy. Herringbone wool, crepe de chine and fake fur were carefully edited, without the gimmicks that often characterized Demna’s ready -made clothing. The collection strengthened the technical capacity of Balenciaga, perhaps a signal to the couture customers that buy instead of scrolling.

Kim Kardashian, a long -standing cooperation partner, embodied look nine: a modern Elizabeth Taylor in a slightly satin slip dress with lace edge on bust and zoom. Draped in an imitation boss jacket and decorated with diamond earrings once from Taylor, loaned by Lorraine Schwartz, her walk was a reminder of how Demna celebrities used not only for the headlines, but for narrative impact.

At the arrivals, Nicole Kidman, who ran over the catwalk in an earlier couture show, appeared in a sharply cut black pantsuit with stilettos. The torch was already passed on outside: Pierpaolo Piccioli, the new creative director of Balenciaga, was spotted when he left for a moped. Piccioli, the former creative power behind Valentino’s romantic Renaissance, will debut his vision in October with a clothing collection during the Paris Fashion Week.

Although Demna’s legacy polarized, characterized by both cultural breakthroughs and PR crises, his impact is unmistakable. He made Balenciaga relevant again, not only for the fashion elite, but also for a generation grew up with irony and Instagram. Yet his last show suggests a farewell message: that true luxury is not noise, but nuance. The soundtrack with names of his employees underlined this point.

Whether Piccioli will continue that message or will completely bend, can still be seen. But for the time being, Demna is leaving the stage with a quiet intoxication, the volume softer, the voice of the studio louder.