Balenciaga's Couture Fall 2024 show – the House's 53rd couture collection – shown in Paris last night was a striking interplay of craftsmanship and cutting-edge techniques. Here, Demna's vision melds streetwear, goth, skater, and metalhead subcultures into a hybrid of minimalist precision and reimagined glamour.

"I hate hats," Demna told press backstage after the show, despite "eccentric headwear" being one of the four iconic codes of founder Cristóbal Balenciaga that he delved into this season. "It’s such a useless object, yet it’s essential to completing the silhouette."

In this collection, Balenciaga doesn't just present fashion—it creates an ephemeral experience, a dance of drape and undrape, where the boundary between art and garment dissolves into a moment of pure couture poetry.

 

The collection ...

Archival influences subtly whisper through the modernised processes and finishes. Take the opening piece: a minimalist, sharp t-shirt hand-lined with black scuba satin, transforming it into a rarefied artefact. This tee, inspired by Warhol, epitomises Demna's fascination with elevating everyday objects into art. It's not just about the object – be it a can of soup or a humble shirt – but the artistry that redefines it.

The collection's pièce de résistance, a wedding dress reimagined from nylon, echoes the ethereal quality of gazar, an ultra-fine fabric from Cristóbal's era. In a breathtaking display of couture performance, the atelier team drapes, staples, and sculpts 47 meters of nylon directly onto the model moments before it graces the runway. This ephemeral creation, taking 30 minutes to construct and just 30 seconds to dissolve, captures the fleeting magic of couture.

The poetry of this collection is further encapsulated in its butterfly motifs. These exquisite creatures, symbols of transformation, hope, and freedom, adorn veils with hundreds of hours of meticulous hand embroidery, inspired by artist Yumi Okita. The butterfly's perfect design mirrors the collection's ethos—where every stitch, drape, and fold is a testament to Balenciaga's innovative spirit and reverence for tradition.

Watch the show in full on the Balenciaga YouTube channel.

 

The location ...

The show was set within Balenciaga’s historic couture salons on Avenue George V, in the city's 8th arrondissement.

 

The guests ...

House ambassador Michelle Yeoh was in attendance, as were Charli XCX, Camille Rowe, Isabelle Huppert, Katy Perry, Ashley Graham, Nicole Kidman, Maya Rudolph, Kerry Washington, Alexis Stone and Amelia Dimoldenberg.