A living legend

Artistic director of Balenciaga since 1997, Nicolas Ghesquière is giving the label a new lease of life. He currently dresses Nicole Kidman, Kate Moss, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Gwyneth Paltrow, to name just a few. From Cristobal to Nicolas: the story of a legend brought right up to date by a designer considered to be the most talented of his generation.

Cristobal Balenciaga presented his first collection in 1937. He opened his doors in Paris, at 10 avenue George V. An instant success! In 1946, he launched his “tonneau” (barrel-shaped) line, set off with an embroidered bolero. In 1952, the first non-fitted suit. In 1969, the puffball dress…
 
The years passed and the fashion house forgot the sublime outline invented by its founder. Since his arrival at Balenciaga in 1995, Nicolas Ghesquière has been working to revive the brand. He has invented a style inspired by science fiction. Over the seasons, his designs – a meeting between sensuality and futurism – set the trend.
 
In 2000, the Gucci Group bought Balenciaga and has garnered the exceptional talent of its artistic director. Consulting the company archives, Nicolas Ghesquière has taken his inspiration from these treasures, reinterpreting them in the ready-to-wear line. He conceived Balenciaga Edition, a collection that draws on original creations from 1930 to 1968. And he reissues six to eight of these pieces every year. The visionary genius of Cristobal lives once more.
 
And the label is making a profit again thanks to this fortuitous blend of revisited collections and contemporary creations.