BALENCIAGA

 Born in the Basque region of Spain, Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895 - 1972) was apprenticed to a tailor from the age of 12. In 1914 he opened the House of Balenciaga in San Sebastian, where most of his clients were aristocrats. After the Spanish monarchy was deposed in the 1930s, Balenciaga moved to Paris. Here he became known for dramatic black coats and dresses which recalled Spanish fashions of the Elizabethan age.











Balenciaga was an extremely private man who gave few interviews. He is often called a 'designer's designer', since some knowledge of tailoring is needed to fully appreciate his clothes. He preferred to work with firm, stiff fabrics which gave his clothing a sculptural appearance. His 1960 sack dress was much copied by other designers.









The House of Balenciaga, typical of the Paris fashion world, had many wealthy customers. However, it was severely challenged in the 1960s, as fashionable young people bought ready-to-wear clothing instead of couture. Symbolically, Balenciaga closed down his fashion house in 1968, a year of violent political protests in Paris. Nonetheless, in training both Courrèges and Ungaro, Balenciaga continued to influence radically different 1960s fashion.











Cristóbal Balenciaga is one of the most revered names in haute couture. Known for his technical skills, the Spanish designer is famous for crafting a new silhouette for women (characterised by its broad shoulders and boxy shape) that came into fashion in the late 50s. His contribution to fashion was insumountable – and a new exhibition is set to celebrate that fact



Opening at the V&A in London in May 2017, 100 years after the opening of Balenciaga’s first fashion house in San Sebastian, Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion will pay homage to the designer, his life and his legacy. Bringing together 100 garments and 20 hats, along with sketches, photographs and fabric samples, the show will explore his craftsmanship and skill, and how his work changed fashion forever.







According the V&A, the exhibition will also include pieces from the museum’s permanent collection, some of which have never been seen before.







The exhibition is timely – under the new creative director of Vetements head designer Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga has taken a radical new director. Fusing the house’s codes with his own fresh outlook on fashion, Gvasalia’s most recent outing saw the designer debut a collection based around Spandex (taking inspiration from cult fetish magazines like AtomAge) and repurpose brooches from the archives.


Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion will be on show at the V&A, London May 27th 2017–February 18th 2018