Cristóbal Balenciaga Museoa

In 2017 the Museum celebrated the centenary of the inauguration of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s first business in San Sebastian. This important event marks the origins of the man who would go on to become the most universal fashion designer. Moreover, it is an event that is inextricably linked to the existence of the Museum in Getaria.
This business adventure begins in the flourishing context of San Sebastian (around thirty kilometres from his native Getaria) at the beginning of the century. It was a particularly intense time for those in the service industry due to the seasonal visits of the court and the tourism boom of the Basque Coast that took place on both sides of the border, with San Sebastian and Biarritz at the centre.
At the age of twenty-two Cristóbal Balenciaga started his first business. Little is known about his previous experience and training. Nevertheless it is logical, as he had lived in the city since 1907 (according to the municipal register), to suppose that he trained in one of the important houses that existed in the city; probably Casa Gómez, New England or Almacenes Au Louvre as all of them were closely connected to Parisian fashion of the time.