BALENCIAGA stores in Japan | SHOPenauer
History & Philosophy
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Balenciaga ” the Haute Street Couture revolution “
Balenciaga is a luxury brand, specialized in the production of clothing and accessories for men and women. Contemporary and avant-garde, the women’s clothing collection is the spokesman of an unconventional and underground aesthetic where the urban influence becomes the sought-after element. The experimental volumes and the study of shapes, essential and geometric, are elements that have always distinguished the brand’s collections: structured coats, sweatshirts and oversized sweaters, draped dresses, jackets with exaggerated proportions and skirts with asymmetric cuts are the leitmotif of this concept. Balenciaga women’s shoes are a perfect mix of contemporary and street-style charm: Made in Italy leather boots, sneakers and sandals. Bags with a modern design, made with high quality leather, together with accessories such as hats, scarves and belts, complete the wardrobe. The menswear line, introduced in 2002, follows the same common thread: coats and jackets with large volumes, sweatshirts and oversized T-shirts, jeans with a relaxed fit. As for accessories, there are iconic sneakers, bags such as backpacks and clutches, hats and scarves.
“Take it or leave it “: that of Balenciaga is an austere aesthetic without frills and sophistication, far from conventional beauty, but for this considered contemporary and at the same time practical: the clothes, with a modern and comfortable design, return to their primary function. Luxury is contaminated with streetwear, which becomes the exclusive element: a constant balance between innovation and tradition. The experimental approach has always accompanied the brand: also in the textile field it is constantly committed to reconciling design, quality and sustainability, through the collaboration with Sqim, a company specialized in the study of alternative materials: techniques such as upcycling, recycling, the use of certified and Made in Italy Green materials are the basis of its collections. Demna Gvasalia, the brand’s creative director, with his style defined as “ugly”, with a post-Soviet imprint and urban influences, has brought a completely new aesthetic vision into the maison. Vision that with its dystopian and avant-garde charm has made Balenciaga one of the most captivating brands of the moment. The brand wants to “destroy to create”, reinterpreted so the classics of the house and proposing them in a completely contemporary and underground: the result are revolutionary volumes, exaggerated proportions, gothic shoulders and futuristic geometric shapes.
Balenciaga, currently part of the Kering group since 2001, has always been synonymous with avant-garde: the luxury maison was founded in Spain in 1917 by Cristobal Balenciaga, remembered as the visionary and revolutionary couturier, with its fashion has redefined the classic system of femininity. In the following years, after having moved to Paris because of the Spanish Civil War, his creations became the symbol of freedom, outlining a modern woman free from all constraints. Reserved but at the same time passionate and instinctive, Cristobal revolutionized the course of fashion history by putting in the foreground the very essence of women through clothes that emphasized the hidden and refined gestures. In 1968 Cristobal decided to withdraw from the fashion scene: after Nicolas Ghesquière and Alexander Wang, Demna Gvasalia became the new creative director in 2015, who with his aesthetic and revolutionary vision managed to redefine the rules of Haute Couture.
