FASHION REPRESENTATION

SUBMITTED BY:
NEERAJ DHAKA
BFT/17/139
 BALENCIAGA
Balenciaga S.A. is a French luxury fashion house brand owned by the multinational company
Kering. It was originally founded in Spain by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a designer born in the
Basque Country. Balenciaga had a reputation as a couturier of uncompromising standards
and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior. His bubble skirts and odd,
feminine, yet "modernistic silhouettes" became the trademarks of the house.
HISTORY

Cristóbal Balenciaga opened

his first boutique in San
Sebastián, Spain, in 1917,
which expanded to include
branches in Madrid and
Barcelona.[3] The Spanish
royal family and the
aristocracy wore his designs,
but when the Spanish Civil
War forced him to close his
stores, Balenciaga moved to
Paris.[3][4]
Balenciaga opened his Paris
couture house on Avenue George V in August 1937, and his first fashion show
featured designs heavily influenced by the Spanish Renaissance.[3] Balenciaga's
success in Paris was nearly immediate. In the period of two years, the French press
lauded him as a revolutionary, and his designs were highly sought-after.[3] Carmel
Snow, the editor of Harper's Bazaar, was an early champion of his designs.[5]
Customers risked their safety to travel to Europe during World War II to see
Balenciaga's clothing.[3] During this period, he was noted for his "square coat," with
sleeves cut in a single piece with the yoke, and for his designs with black (or black
and brown) lace over bright pink fabric.[3]
However, it was not until the post-war years that the full scale of the inventiveness of
this highly original designer became evident. His lines became more linear and
sleek, diverging from the hourglass shape popularized by Christian Dior's "New
Look".[3] The fluidity of his silhouettes enabled him to manipulate the relationship
between his clothing and women's bodies.[3] In 1951, he totally transformed the
silhouette, broadening the shoulders and removing the waist. In 1955, he designed
the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress[3] of 1958. Other
contributions in the postwar era included the spherical balloon jacket (1953), the
high-waisted baby doll dress (1957), the cocoon coat (1957), the balloon skirt (1957),
and the sack dress (1957).[3] In 1959, his work culminated in the Empire line, with
high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. His manipulation of the waist, in
particular, contributed to "what is considered to be his most important contribution to
the world of fashion: a new silhouette for women."[3]
In the 1960s, Balenciaga was an innovator in his use of fabrics: he tended toward
heavy fabrics, intricate embroidery, and bold materials.[3] His trademarks included
"collars that stood away from the collarbone to give a swanlike appearance" and
shortened "bracelet" sleeves.[3] His often spare, sculptural creations—including
funnel-shape gowns of stiff duchess satin worn to acclaim by clients such as Pauline
de Rothschild, Bunny Mellon, Marella Agnelli, Hope Portocarrero, Gloria Guinness,
and Mona von Bismarck—were considered masterworks of haute couture in the
1950s and 1960s. In 1960, he designed the wedding dress for Queen Fabiola of
Belgium made of ivory duchess satin trimmed with white mink at the collar and the
hips. Jackie Kennedy famously upset John F. Kennedy for buying Balenciaga's
expensive creations while he was President because he feared that the American
public might think the purchases too lavish. Her haute couture bills were eventually
discreetly paid by her father-in-law, Joseph Kennedy.[citation needed]
JOURNEY SO FAR
1895
Cristobal Balenciaga was born in Getaria in the Basque region of Spain.

1917
Cristobal Balenciaga opens his haute couture House in San Sebastian, Spain.

1937
Opens his fashion House at 10 Avenue George V in Paris. Presentation of his first
collection greeted with immediate success by the press and buyers.

1947
Creation of the first Balenciaga perfume: “Le Dix”.

1948
Creates his second perfume: “La Fuite des Heures”.

1951
Creation of the Vareuse and “Cocoon” line.

1952
Launch of his first boxy suits. Creation of the “Parachute” dress.

1953
Waistlines drop to hip level transforming the silhouette.

1955
Creates his first tunic “I”. Launch of his third perfume: “Quadrille”. Collaboration with
Robert Goossens on a jewelry line.

1957
His simplified lines continue a fashion revolution.
“Sac” dress, “Cloche et Paon” line.

1958
Creation of the “Baby Doll” dresses and the gazar d’Abraham fabric. He is awarded
the Legion of Honor.

1959
Suits are presented with short jackets and higher waistlines. “Amphore” line.

1961
Evening gowns a la Zurbaran, duenna’s dresses and magnificent negligees.
Creation of costumes for the play “Orphée” by Jean Cocteau.

1963
Creation of the “Sari” dress. Launches a range of boots presented with his sports
outfits, in collaboration with Mancini.
Collaboration with Roger Vivier for a collection of sandals.
 1965
Creation of the “Pétale” dress.

1968
Presents his last collection, and retires
to his house in Spain after 30 years of innovation in the fashion industry.

1972
Death of Cristobal Balenciaga on March 24, 1972, in Javea, Spain. He is buried in
his native Basque region.

1997
Nicolas Ghesquière becomes the Creative Director of the House.

2001
Kering acquires Balenciaga House.

2004
Introduction of the Men ready-to-wear and accessories collection.

2006
 Balenciaga exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

2011
“Balenciaga and Spain” exhibition at the De Young Fine Art Museum of San
Francisco.
Opening of the Cristobal Balenciaga Museum
at Getaria in Spain.

2012
“Cristobal Balenciaga collector of fashions”
exhibition at Les Docks Cité de la Mode et du
Design Paris.
Alexander Wang is appointed Creative
Director of the House.

2015
Demna Gvasalia is appointed Artistic Director
of the collections.

2016
Presentation of the first men’s runway show
for the SS 2017 collection.

2017
Opening of a new store in Paris, Avenue MontaignE.

In 1986, Jacques Bogart S.A. acquired the rights to Balenciaga, and

opened a new ready-to-wear line, "Le Dix". The first collection was
designed by Michel Goma in October 1987, who remained at the house
for the next five years to mixed reviews. He was replaced in 1992 with
Dutch designer Josephus Thimister who began the restoration of
Balenciaga to high-fashion status] During Thimister's term, Nicolas
Ghesquière would join as a license designer, and eventually was
promoted to head designer in 1997.
In 1992, for the Summer Olympic Games, House of Balenciaga
designed the French team's clothes.
Balenciaga is now owned by Kering, formerly known as PPR, and its
womenswear and menswear was headed by Nicolas Ghesquière.
Ghesquière, like Balenciaga, is a self-taught designer, and apprenticed
to Jean-Paul Gaultier and Agnes B. The fresh interpretation of
Balenciaga classics, such as the semifitted jacket and the sack dress,
caught the attention of the media as well
as such celebrities as Madonna and

Sinéad O'Connor.
In 2002, Balenciaga's star, Nicolas
Ghesquiere, imitated the work of Kaisik Wong, a designer from San
Francisco. Ghesquiere created a patchwork vest in his spring collection
that resembled one that Wong designed in 1973. Ghesquiere admitted in
an interview in Paris that he had copied the garment.
There was some conflict within the House of Balenciaga on
Ghesquiere's designs, with the Gucci group saying that if Balenciaga
didn't make any money in 2007 they would replace him. Ghesquière's
F/W 2005 line showed that the house was not only making money, but
also attracted a number of celebrity customers including editor-in-chief at
Vogue, Anna Wintour.
The House of Balenciaga designed the dresses worn by Jennifer
Connelly and Nicole Kidman to the 2006 Academy Awards, as well as
the wedding gown Kidman wore when she married Keith Urban.[8] Kylie
Minogue also wore a Balenciaga dress for her "Slow" and "Red Blooded
Woman" music videos and for her concert tour.[9]
Today, the brand is best known for its line of motorcycle-inspired
handbags, especially the "Lariat".[10] Balenciaga has eight exclusive
boutiques in the United States. One Balenciaga store is located on 22nd
St in New York City, New York. A second store is located in Los
Angeles, California, on Melrose Avenue. Recently, a third store opened
at the South Coast Plaza, in Costa
Mesa, California. This store is 1,200
square feet (110 m2) and includes

coffin-like inset displays. The

New York and Los Angeles
boutiques carry both men's
and women's ready-to-wear,
while the South Coast Plaza
boutique carries only women's
clothing. A fourth, located in
Las Vegas inside Caesars
Palace, carries only accessories. An additional location on the Las
Vegas Strip, in Crystals at CityCenter, sells accessories as well as
women's ready-to-wear. The boutique at Ala Moana Center in Honolulu,
offers men's and women's ready-to-wear and accessories. There is a
store at the Bal Harbour shops in Bal Harbour, Florida. An eighth store is
opening spring 2014 in Dallas, Texas, at the Highland Park Village to
become the first boutique in Texas. The Highland Park Village boutique
is opening next to Christian Dior and will carry men's and women's ready
to wear and accessories. All of the boutiques employ spirited
architecture, with white paneling, marble, and glass work as well as
black leather seats and light green, black and navy carpets or white tiles,
emphasizing the brand's lean toward avant-garde and the drama of
fashion.
Balenciaga's Fall/Winter 2007 show impressed Teen Vogue editor-in-
chief Amy Astley so much that an entire spread in the magazine, titled
"Global Studies" and shot in Beijing, was
influenced by it. The line included skinny

jodhpurs, tight, fitted blazers,

beaded embellished scarves,
and other multicultural mixes.
Balenciaga is known for creating avant-garde structural pieces,
straddling the edge of fashion and forecasting the future of women's
ready-to-wear fashion. Vintage Balenciaga garments are very popular
among influential fashion editors, Hollywood stars, and top models, and
have been seen on Sienna Miller, Lara Bingle, Raquel Zimmerman,
Caroline Trentini, Emmanuelle Alt, Tatiana Sorokko, Hilary Rhoda,
Jennifer Garner, and Stephanie Seymour, among others. Balenciaga is
also frequently worn by actress Chloë Sevigny, who is also a muse of
Nicolas Ghesquiere.
On 24 March 2011 at San Francisco's M. H. de Young Museum, House
of Balenciaga celebrated the opening of Balenciaga and Spain, a 120-
piece fashion retrospective of Cristóbal Balenciaga's career. The
exhibition included many Balenciaga designs from the museum's
encyclopedic costume collection, which boasts impressive holdings of
creations by the designer. "You can't even measure it," said Rodarte
designer Laura Mulleavy of Cristóbal Balenciaga's influence. The
$2,500-a-ticket fund-raiser for the museum drew 350 guests, including
Denise Hale, Marissa Mayer, Vanessa Getty, Victoria Traina, Vanessa
Traina, Jamie Tisch, Gwyneth Paltrow, Orlando Bloom, Balthazar Getty,
Maggie Rizer, Connie Nielsen, Maria Bello, and Mia Wasikowska.[16]
On 5 November 2012, Balenciaga announced that it was parting with
creative director Nicolas Ghesquière, ending his 15-year tenure.[17][18] The
brand announced Alexander Wang its new creative director.[18][19] Wang
presented his first collection for the
label on 28 February 2013 at Paris
Fashion Week.

On 30 July 2015, Balenciaga

announced it was parting with creative
director Alexander Wang after three
years. The Spring/Summer 2016 show
was his last, featuring white lounge
wear made from soft, natural fabrics. In
early-October 2015, the brand
announced Demna Gvasalia as its new
creative director.
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