Balenciaga Attempts Vindication With Runway Show At Paris Fashion Week

FashionRunway

Mar 6

If there is one thing that Paris Fashion Week, and fashion month as a whole, is certain to do, it’s spark conversation. The latest? Whether or not Balenciaga was right to return to the runway following December’s truly abhorrent controversies, and if the new collection from Demna Gvasalia was worthy of an ounce of forgiveness.

“In the last couple of months, I needed to seek shelter from my love affair with fashion and I instinctively found it in the process of making clothes” were some of the words in Demna’s show notes. While a somewhat contradictory statement, it was clear from the offset that Demna and Balenciaga were attempting vindication with this latest collection. Under Demna, Balenciaga has been known for outlandish, over-the-top and sometimes absurd runway performances that placed entertainment at the forefront, such as having Kim K walk in a couture show. However, “fashion to me can no longer be seen as entertainment”, said Demna.

Plain, pared back and eerie, the show and its related garments were, for once, calm, quiet and yet subtly unsettling. Opening with 11 almost identical black and then grey long-line coats and suit jackets set the tone for what was designed as a metaphorical prostration of apology. Pulling back the curtains, designed for the audience to witness Demna's design talent instead of his talent to shock and create drama.

While, objectively, the collection features several excellent looks and shows a true understanding of tailoring, the 54 looks have done little to spark major forgiveness. With Demna still definitely hanging onto the helm, consumers will continue to remember the sins of the past. It is also worth noting that the creative director did not walk out at the end of the show as is tradition.

In the brand’s first public appearances since disgrace, it remains to be seen whether Demna can revive his and the fashion houses' reputation.

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