DEMNA GVASALIA BIDS FAREWELL WITH A MELANCHOLY ODE TO BALENCIAGA

Paris witnessed a fashion milestone as Demna Gvasalia bid farewell to Balenciaga with a haute couture show that fused his irreverent vision, satire, and a bold redefinition of elegance.

After a decade of redefining haute couture with audacious irreverence and a dystopian vision that merged the mundane with the sublime, Demna Gvasalia has lowered the curtain on his era at Balenciaga. His Fall 2025 Haute Couture collection, presented in the historic atelier on Avenue George V, was both a poignant farewell and a statement of principles a love letter to Parisian fashion, sprinkled with his characteristic ironic humor and keen cultural awareness.

The show, an event of almost theatrical proportions, encapsulated the Georgian designer's essence: extreme silhouettes, sharp satire of the bourgeoisie and Hollywood glamour, and a profound respect for Cristóbal Balenciaga's legacy, all delivered with impeccable execution. Demna, who took a bow for the first time in his tenure at the house, emerged in his personal uniform a worn sweatshirt, logo cap, and camouflage pants an image that belied the formality of the event and reaffirmed his commitment to anti-fashion. "Today is like my coming out," he quipped backstage, a nod to his reluctance for public exposure and his new willingness to confront the world directly.

The runway became a stage for a cast of muses and collaborators, intertwining pop culture and cinema's past and present. Kim Kardashian dazzled, embodying a modern Elizabeth Taylor in an ivory slip dress and an opulent white feather coat, complemented by Taylor's iconic diamond earrings, courtesy of jeweler Lorraine Schwartz. It was a calculated homage to Old Hollywood, a reminder of how Balenciaga, under Demna's direction, has shaped not only silhouettes but also cultural memory.

Shortly after, the eternal muse of French cinema, Isabelle Huppert, appeared in black corset-tight trousers and a sculptural sweater, carrying a bag that swung with studied nonchalance an ingenious provocation of bourgeois style. Another emotional moment was the appearance of Danielle Slavik, Cristóbal Balenciaga's former muse, who wore an exact 1967 houndstooth suit, a touching connection to the founder that Demna confessed was his "personal salvation" from imposter syndrome.

True to his disruptive nature, Demna broke with tradition by introducing a men's haute couture line for the first time. Giant bomber jackets, kilometer-long trench coats, and leather suits with a rockstar attitude paraded alongside the women's creations. Despite his confessed aversion to classic tailoring, Demna collaborated with Neapolitan tailors to create men's pieces with such precise cuts that a bodybuilder wore them on the runway. The inclusion of his husband, Loïck Gomez, in an exaggeratedly oversized suit, served as a satirical nod to disproportion, a recurring element in Demna's aesthetic. "I wanted to emphasize this idea that it's not the garment that defines the silhouette, but the body that wears it," he explained.

The collection also explored redefined corsetry, designed to be comfortable and non-restrictive, and the designer's obsession with the "Golden Age of Hollywood" manifested in a black sequin dress inspired by Marilyn Monroe and a pink princess gown crafted from the world's lightest technical organza.

Every garment in this final collection seemed to tell a story, from the iconic "Diva" dress to quilted coats that elevated streetwear to haute couture. There were even conceptual pieces, such as a surreal creation made with over 300 kilometers of relief embroidery, simulating hyperrealistic corduroy in trompe-l'œil.

The show's soundtrack was a final gesture of gratitude. Instead of music, the names of Demna's atelier collaborators and staff were recited like a mantra, an acknowledgment of the "silent army that makes the impossible happen." The choice of Sade's "No Ordinary Love" as the final song was, according to the designer, the soundtrack of his life since he was 10 years old, and its lyrics resonated with the transformation Demna brought to Balenciaga.

Demna's future now takes him to Milan, where he will assume the creative direction of Gucci. Backstage, he was unusually talkative about this new chapter. "For my next chapter, I have the luxury of having many different codes that I have never used to build upon," he commented, comparing himself to a chef who suddenly has a plethora of new ingredients.

Paris bids farewell to Demna with a mix of melancholy and anticipation. His departure marks the end of an era at Balenciaga that rewrote the rules of the possible and impossible in haute couture, merging irreverence, humor, and history with revolutionary elegance. His legacy will undoubtedly remain indelible in fashion history.