DEMNA

Looking back on Balenciaga’s 51st couture collection earlier this year, the maison’s creative director reflects on realism, sensitivity and an ever-evolving vision for couture in an exclusive interview with Vogue Singapore.

- MAYA MENON

When asked who the Balenciaga couture customer is today, creative director Demna’s response is more straightforward than one would imagine: “Anyone who is interested in couture and can afford to invest in it.” And if the maison’s 51st show held at its Paris-based haute couture salon earlier this year is anything to go by, the awe-inspiring energy surrounding made-to-measure clothing hasn’t waned in the slightest. The interest—the interest composed by Demna, in particular—has certainly been one for the books.

Balenciaga and Demna initially made waves in 2021 with news of their second coming of couture—the maison’s first showing in 54 years. Weave in the Georgian fashion designer’s penchant for both the esoteric and the pragmatic and it’s no wonder that the venture has been wildly well-received. “I am a realist in my design approach because my interest is in creating a desirable product, but this does not mean that I don’t want to or am not capable of dreaming. So, couture is a perfect combination of both to me. This is why I feel so comfortable and at home with it,” he shares. The result? An assortment of both the practical and show-stopping, from futuristic all-black neoprene ensembles—Demna’s take on gazar, a type of silk that was utilised by Cristobal Balenciaga during his tenure—to speaker bags made in collaboration with Danish speaker electronics giant, Bang & Olufsen.