Balenciaga has just named Demna Gvasalia the brand’s new creative director. After months of speculation as to who would take over the position after Alexander Wang announced his departure in July, it seems the French label has chosen the up-and-coming Georgian designer. The founder and creative designer of Vêtements has a masters from the Royal Academy of Fine Art in Antwerp, previously worked at Maison Margiela, Walter van Beirendonck and Louis Vuitton, and successfully launched his own brand in 2013.
“I am extremely honored and excited to be given the opportunity to bring my creative vision to Balenciaga, a house with such an exceptional history of pushing the boundaries of modernity in fashion,” Gvasalia told WWD. His position at the French house begins this week, and his first collection for the brand will be shown in March during the Fall/Winter 2016 Paris Fashion Week shows.
But some are hesitant about what the designer, who seems most proficient in street-style and menswear, can bring to a historically-feminine womenswear line. Currently Vêtements is one of the hottest underground labels for the fashion set, but even with its undeniable success, the line of masculine vintage jeans and oversized outerwear are a far cry from the traditional Balenciaga woman. The brand, however, seems to have the utmost confidence in him, saying that he is “someone capable of reshuffling the cards.” We’ll just have to wait until next season to see if this reshuffling results in success.
