Rouge FW21 Article
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Balenciaga’s return to couture has arrived, and Demna Gvasalia has an innovative yet celebratory vision for the house’s new direction. Finally straying from the casual yet serious streetwear that has become synonymous with the house, the experimental and imaginative creations of Gvasalia were exciting and transformative, With Balenciaga’s July 2021 collection, the house is reawakening its roots in Haute Couture and exploring its capabilities to capture a new, more versatile consumer.
The collection features exquisitely tailored suits, classic Balenciaga accessories, and many elements of streetwear. One of the most notable pieces includes a pair of couture denim pants that were hand-woven and specially tailored with 12 fittings. The fresh contrast of exuberant taffeta gowns and shimmering evening wear standing next to windbreakers and hoodies was youthful and clever, especially when compared to previous Balenciaga ready-to-wear collections.
Demna Gvasalia notes that he ”wanted to create a conversation with a modern customer who can be a couture customer of Balenciaga,” (Prant, 2021). By combining the modern definition of luxury with the classic vision of Cristobal Balenciaga, Gvasalia is fostering a new kind of luxury customer while paying homage to the past. While including the iconic Balenciaga wedding dress in its near-original form, the collection still featured many casual, functional garments as well. The July show also paid tribute to Cristobal Balenciaga by using a soundtrack of silence, a tradition of the historic Balenciaga couture house that works in an effort to “focus the audience on the line, cut, and presence of his clothes,” (Mower, 2021). These choices allow the modern Balenciaga to adapt the hallowed couture house of Cristobal Balenciaga to meet traditional expectations while still experimenting and stepping out of the usual Balenciaga niche. Gvasalia says “It was a challenge to find a balance between the fusion of the architectural legacy, the history, and what I stand for,” (Mower, 2021).
Even Gvasalia himself has taken strides to experiment with his own style. He explains that he has recently begun to delve into couture in his own closet and that his first experience was a made-to-measure suit- a wardrobe staple for many in the fashion industry. He says that he realized how couture is truly an immersive type of fashion which no doubt aided him in the development of the July 2021 Couture collection. He says that Couture is “an experiential thing. It's something that only the wearer can know and it gives you confidence, (Prant, 2021).”
Balenciaga’s revitalization at the hands of Demna Gvasalia is a modern testament to how tradition can influence us even decades later. Experimental fashion and the relevancy of Haute Couture has remained over the years, but the July 2021 show was a rebirth of a legacy house that showed how youthful ready-to-wear can still translate to the traditional definition of high-fashion
Prant, D. (2021, July 8). Demna Gvasalia hopes balenciaga's couture comeback takes him out of the sneakerhead box. Fashionista. Retrieved November 18, 2021
Mower, S. (2021, July 7). Balenciaga Fall 2021 couture collection. Vogue. Retrieved November 18, 2021
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