Collection Brief - Balenciaga

On July 7th, 2021, Balenciaga presents couture for the first time since 1967, when founder Cristóbal Balenciaga left the fashion industry. Balenciaga’s Couture Winter 21 is officially the House’s 50th Couture collection - the artistic director Demna Gvasalia ’s first. The collection is a mix of men’s and women’s made-to-measure pieces meticulously crafted using today’s most sophisticated techniques. Paying tribute to Balenciaga’s revered Couture history, garments architecturally transform the body and defer to the art of savoir-faire while taking an interest in modern dressing. Contemporary and signature silhouettes are reinterpreted by way of expert construction and state-of-the-art technology meeting the highest standards of craftsmanship. Garments are made with complex corsetry or reinforced undergirding, while hand-embellished evening attire becomes voluminous using minimal, strategic seams or hand-molded padding. In every item, a delicate balance of structural support and purposeful draping is made to be almost imperceptible. Material is questioned by way of unexpected compositions: silks stiffened and metallic thread and animal-esq qualities are synthesized using illusory elements.