Balenciaga F/W 2023.24 Paris

[donyan]

I wonder what the collection looks like in the showroom. I somehow find it hard to believe they’re not selling Logo Baseball Caps and Tshirts anymore .

 

[GivenchyHomme]

Me trying to find these so called “bulges” everyone is talking about.

Tenor

 

[yslforever]

My guess is that they'll do the switch around the time Sabato debuts at Gucci. That way, his departure doesn't make for too much drama.

My guess too, Kering big heads are glued to the sales figures of the new products releases (btw am I the only finding plenty of basic Gucci clothes online ? They look like a Gap collab). The issue is that Balenciaga invested heavily in a couture atelier with plenty of super-skilled workers, and a couture show is still on plans for July. And Kering is very keen on having a couture atelier there, it’s their only one, they do want to keep one.
So Kering dilemma is not only firing Demna, it’s to sort out the future of that atelier.
Some people I know are on the board and they are pushing for a drastic change: use the atelier, go full on the old-school couture house, with a couturier, make Balenciaga very aspirational. Then they could always sell t-shirts and track jackets inspired by the couture.
They are checking everyone Gaultier has invited, the people who worked with Alber, Bouchra, Glenn …

 

[Lola701]

What I'm hearing from my buyer friend is that that showroom has been empty and the sales team are terrified.

Controversy aside, the collection was focused on items that Demna doesn’t really sell. The aggressive push towards Streetwear, skintight silhouettes has jeopardize the offering in terms of merchandising. They sells jeans, tshirts and hoodies with logos. That’s the heritage of Demna no matter how hard he try to fool us with his talk about tailoring.

The clientele that goes to Balenciaga for tailoring and that kind of smart dressing probably shop in the house stores and I feel like YSL has gained more legitimacy in that lane.

I really think that they should get Glenn Martens to do Balenciaga.

 

[LadyJunon]

I really think that they should get Glenn Martens to do Balenciaga.

Yes, while Glenn also has that transgressive streak like Demna, his work is still very sartorial-centric, even his more "streetwear' propositions. His clothes stand on their own.

 

[donyan]

Controversy aside, the collection was focused on items that Demna doesn’t really sell. The aggressive push towards Streetwear, skintight silhouettes has jeopardize the offering in terms of merchandising. They sells jeans, tshirts and hoodies with logos. That’s the heritage of Demna no matter how hard he try to fool us with his talk about tailoring.

The clientele that goes to Balenciaga for tailoring and that kind of smart dressing probably shop in the house stores and I feel like YSL has gained more legitimacy in that lane.

I really think that they should get Glenn Martens to do Balenciaga.

They should check what Lutz Huelle did at Delpozo. This and the street/casual aspect of the work he does at his own line would be a perfect match

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I wonder what the collection looks like in the showroom. I somehow find it hard to believe they’re not selling Logo Baseball Caps and Tshirts anymore .

That's because they still are!

 

[Deleted member 7575]

 

[susseinmcswanny]

I'm midway thru the showstudio discussion on the Ann D show (man I miss the old panelists) and they were trying to make sense of what exactly was going on there. One of them started talking about a conversation she had with a Kering exec about a particular traditional womenswear brand (unnamed but I'm assuming it's balenciaga) and he admitted to her that they cut the 40+ woman out of the vision entirely and are really only focusing on young men. I know it's been pretty obvious already (for most brands rn too) but hearing it really deflated what was left in the balloon. It really is like an Ed Hardyfication of the entire industry.

 

[LadyJunon]

Thanks for the visual equivalent of STDs.

I'm midway thru the showstudio discussion on the Ann D show (man I miss the old panelists) and they were trying to make sense of what exactly was going on there. One of them started talking about a conversation she had with a Kering exec about a particular traditional womenswear brand (unnamed but I'm assuming it's balenciaga) and he admitted to her that they cut the 40+ woman out of the vision entirely and are really only focusing on young men. I know it's been pretty obvious already (for most brands rn too) but hearing it really deflated what was left in the balloon. It really is like an Ed Hardyfication of the entire industry.

That is definitely Balenciaga, no possible mistake there. Under Demna, Balenciaga's menswear had become the protagonist at a house that had earned a reputation for serving cutting-edge clothing for women in the last 2½ decades.

Today, I don't see any women, even young trendy women, buy, wear, express any sort of desire or like towards his Balenciaga. Most of that market actually seems to prefer Jacquemus, Miu Miu, Blumarine and Valentino, brands that actually put feminine ideals first. I don't see the average female luxury consumer looking at a Balenciaga show or campaign and wanting to participate in that universe.

This was the same issue I had with Hedi Slimane's YSL (and why I borderline worship Vaccarello for restoring balance), but with him, there was still a minimum of care and consideration made to appeal to a female clientele and the marketing and sales reflected that.

Balenciaga, however, just reads as the dudebro (bordering on incel) of high fashion. There's an attempt to do this at Givenchy, but luckily Williams is failing to do so.

 

[Drusilla_]

Thanks for the visual equivalent of STDs.

That is definitely Balenciaga, no possible mistake there. Under Demna, Balenciaga's menswear had become the protagonist at a house that had earned a reputation for serving cutting-edge clothing for women in the last 2½ decades.

Today, I don't see any women, even young trendy women, buy, wear, express any sort of desire or like towards his Balenciaga. Most of that market actually seems to prefer Jacquemus, Miu Miu, Blumarine and Valentino, brands that actually put feminine ideals first. I don't see the average female luxury consumer looking at a Balenciaga show or campaign and wanting to participate in that universe.

This was the same issue I had with Hedi Slimane's YSL (and why I borderline worship Vaccarello for restoring balance), but with him, there was still a minimum of care and consideration made to appeal to a female clientele and the marketing and sales reflected that.

Balenciaga, however, just reads as the dudebro (bordering on incel) of high fashion. There's an attempt to do this at Givenchy, but luckily Williams is failing to do so.

Spot-on, and the increasing dudebro/Ed Hardy-ification of Balenciaga under Demna in the last 3-4 years was initially hidden behind trendy rhetoric (the logo sh*t? "a way for customers to belong". The hoodies, sweats, baseball cap focus? "Streetwear! It's ~democratic and if you hate it you are probably a racist". The lazy designs with apparently nothing focused on dressing the female form? "Gender inclusive", also "commentary on politics" as long as they came down a muddy runway). With this season, all the air has been let out of those particular balloons....for now, and it doesn't help that the scandal was the Emperor's New Clothes moment for current Balenciaga even before that.

 

[Kennnnn]

Balenciaga, however, just reads as the dudebro (bordering on incel) of high fashion.

Dudebros and maybe Real Houewives trying to be "edgy".

 

[Bernie Flood]

If this was the collection meant to decide Demna’s destiny at Balenciaga, then I think we can set the clock on and start counting the minutes.

Make it or break it.

 

[Bernie Flood]

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Actually lol'd watching some of this. This was the show to prove the naysayers wrong, that the quality of your work and your vision of "modern elegance" stands on its own apart from any controversy and theatrics?

I believe Nicolas Ghesquiere already done this.

 

[Bernie Flood]

I bet this is his last.

Seriously,
Associating the brand with KK ‍♀️

 

[Caffeine]

use the atelier, go full on the old-school couture house, with a couturier, make Balenciaga very aspirational.

Please make it true!

 

[krncandi]

It took a scandal for him to just make clothes and be more Balenciaga lol but it's still garbage sorry... never liked any of his work. Just hype thrown with pseudo-intellectual gimmicks

 

[krncandi]

It took a scandal for him to just make clothes and be more Balenciaga lol but it's still garbage sorry... never liked any of his work. Just hype thrown with pseudo gimmicks

 

[RaisinBoy]

Why did they let Karl go from Chanel???!
Hope Dior hires him or Jil Sander???!

 

[Salvatore]

Why did they let Karl go from Chanel???!
Hope Dior hires him or Jil Sander???!

Karl died 4 years ago …