Demna Gvasalia - Designer, Creative Director of Balenciaga

[Kikala]

It's funny but Demna said that Chanel is his big goal.
Sounds pathetic but I guess that's why he wants to stay far from Vetements and push couture more.

 

[YohjiAddict]

^I've always dreamed of a Tweed Hoodie with little CC drawstrings!

 

[IloveDiorHomme]

Demna did this collection at Maison Martin Margiela and it's so much better than what Galliano is doing right now :


Don't pigeon-hole Demna Gvasalia into hoodies. He can deliver more...

 

[donyan]

I always thought it was a girl called Nina Nitshe who did those collections. I had never really looked at this properly but watching the show it looks really goo, much better than wha I remember. They were on to something here, why they let her go and took Galliano I have no idea. This was really special, even more so in hindsight

 

[YohjiAddict]

Not that different from the bizarre cloaks that he tries to pass off as serious/conceptual fashion at Balenciaga, so dour and ascetic. Like downing vinegar.

If Sponge Bob were an art gallerist he would look terrific in those MMM clothes.

 

[donyan]

Not that different from the bizarre cloaks that he tries to pass off as serious/conceptual fashion at Balenciaga, so dour and ascetic. Like downing vinegar.

If Sponge Bob were an art gallerist he would look terrific in those MMM clothes.

I might not agree with you but that made me laugh out loud

 

[Phuel]

He’s one of the few genuine talents (if not only genuine talent) to have emerged from this generation of overhyped basic designers. He’s absolutely capable of more than silly ironic normcorewear, but if that’s what gets him to Chanel then I understand him playing the waiting game. Don’t prefer his MMM over Galliano’s, but his is good.

When he first blew up with Vetements and Balenciaga, he was already so distinctive with his aesthetic. I actually really appreciated his initial branding for Balenciaga with its very exclusive and hardcore Eastern European/Georgian vibe. He’s got the goods to back up the hype. (…And a Chanel tweed hoodie w/CC drawstrings actually sounds pretty cheeky…)

 

[susseinmcswanny]

I wouldn't consider those Margiela collections to be "Demna's". Wasn't he just on the team or something? Like donyan said, I'm pretty sure I've only ever read about Nina Nitsche taking the lead after Martin left the house. But hey if anyone has any insider info hmu lol

 

[Fulton St Critique]

Demna did this collection at Maison Martin Margiela and it's so much better than what Galliano is doing right now :


Don't pigeon-hole Demna Gvasalia into hoodies. He can deliver more...

I’m not sure this is much better than what JG is offering right now. While this collection is neat, pure and has wonderful detailing and interesting proportions, I don’t believe this is so much better than Galliano’s current work because it is hard to compare the two and in my eyes hold little similarities. I do find Demna much improved over the past few years and look forward to seeing his coming work.

 

[Avonlea]

He may be a talented designer but the laziness just overshadows everything he does.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ That can be said about the industry as a whole.

Everyone’s lazy now. Other than pseudo socio-political grandstanding from shows to publications to campaigns, the industry hasn’t moved forward a single step in terms of creative nor technical innovation: If you strip all the baglady styling down to each separate, there’s not a single new form to add to fashion history’s lexicon; if you separate the imagery from publications and campaigns from its “diversity and inclusivity” gimmick, it’s all just aimless, rejected frames that most of the time haven’t even been bothered to go through any post-- all for the sake of that obnoxious faux “rawness”; and shows have become the most insufferable mechanized, corporate assembly-line churned productions without a spit of individuality to them (...surprisingly, the last “memorable” show is Virgil’s all-Asian twink cast for his Vuitton. But once again— that was clearly a corporate sign-off since Virgil clearly doesn’t care to promote Asian presence when he gave his presentation…).

Those of us in our 30s/40s/50s with strong opinions and whom remain strong supporters of the industry are sidelined for the twitter mob who’ve never supported the industry and at best may buy a hoodie or a pair of kicks. Maybe one day when this industry will finally realize who’s really on their side, then they’ll make the effort again. But right her and right now, we’re in the depths of this creative blackhole. Just implode already so we can move on to a new era.

 

[jeanclaude]

I do not think Demna is a talented designer. I think he is very lucky to have reached the spotlight in a moment of fashion history where the level is too low, so his work seems more interesting that it really is.

Because let´s make a comparison for a moment:
Maria-Grazia/Virginie/Alessandro/Anthony/Sarah/Virgil/Clare/Rousteing/Demna...you can clearly tell Gvaslia stands out from this sample group of designers!

But now let´s imagine an alternative scenario: Demna emerging as a designer in the 90s...ok, here is the comparison:
Helmut/John/Alexander/Theyskens/Ghesquière/Miuccia/Tom/Martin/Demeulemeester/Demna...wait, who is Demna and what is he doing here??

 

[Lola701]

I do not think Demna is a talented designer. I think he is very lucky to have reached the spotlight in a moment of fashion history where the level is too low, so his work seems more interesting that it really is.

Because let´s make a comparison for a moment:
Maria-Grazia/Virginie/Alessandro/Anthony/Sarah/Virgil/Clare/Rousteing/Demna...you can clearly tell Gvaslia stands out from this sample group of designers!

But now let´s imagine an alternative scenario: Demna emerging as a designer in the 90s...ok, here is the comparison:
Helmut/John/Alexander/Theyskens/Ghesquière/Miuccia/Tom/Martin/Demeulemeester/Demna...wait, who is Demna and what is he doing here??

I’m coming to defend Olivier and Alessandro! They stand out!

 

[jeanclaude]

I’m coming to defend Olivier and Alessandro! They stand out!

Well, for you! Ok!

 

[Lola701]

Well, for you! Ok!

I may not necessarly enjoy their work (I do like Alessandro’s tailoring) but I recognize that they have some talent.

Clare, Sarah and Anthony are just fine. They are skilled but they don’t stand out.

MGC and Virginie are just there. They are like Jason Wu, just there!

 

[Phuel]

I do not think Demna is a talented designer. I think he is very lucky to have reached the spotlight in a moment of fashion history where the level is too low, so his work seems more interesting that it really is.

Because let´s make a comparison for a moment:
Maria-Grazia/Virginie/Alessandro/Anthony/Sarah/Virgil/Clare/Rousteing/Demna...you can clearly tell Gvaslia stands out from this sample group of designers!

But now let´s imagine an alternative scenario: Demna emerging as a designer in the 90s...ok, here is the comparison:
Helmut/John/Alexander/Theyskens/Ghesquière/Miuccia/Tom/Martin/Demeulemeester/Demna...wait, who is Demna and what is he doing here??

Whether he has that brand of talent that will evolve and become bigger a decade after his initial breakout remains to be seen. Many talents create an impact for maybe 5 years then they're gone... And even with the likes of Helmut/Jil/Miuccia, their first 5 years of outing were hardly the stuff of legends. And let’s be fair and be open to all kinds of talents— because if we’re just stuck on the highest of the high talents, then pretty much this entire industry at the moment would be cancelled out (except for maybe Haider).

(And I actually do like Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain— for what it is: 80s-camp done well. But he’s nowhere near the talents of Helmut/John/Alexander/Theyskens/Ghesquière/Miuccia/Tom/Martin/Demeulemeester LOL And since I feel particularly generous at this moment, I’ll say that Alessandro’s Gucci has been consistently solid with the campaigns, if nothing else. And the clothes really are nothing. Sorry Lola-- but tailoring must be a given when it comes to HF, so he doesn't get points for just passing the basic.)

 

[Lola701]

Whether he has that brand of talent that will evolve and become bigger a decade after his initial breakout remains to be seen. Many talents create an impact for maybe 5 years then they're gone... And even with the likes of Helmut/Jil/Miuccia, their first 5 years of outing were hardly the stuff of legends. And let’s be fair and be open to all kinds of talents— because if we’re just stuck on the highest of the high talents, then pretty much this entire industry at the moment would be cancelled out (except for maybe Haider).

(And I actually do like Olivier Rousteing’s Balmain— for what it is: 80s-camp done well. But he’s nowhere near the talents of Helmut/John/Alexander/Theyskens/Ghesquière/Miuccia/Tom/Martin/Demeulemeester LOL And since I feel particularly generous at this moment, I’ll say that Alessandro’s Gucci has been consistently solid with the campaigns, if nothing else. And the clothes really are nothing. Sorry Lola-- but tailoring must be a given when it comes to HF, so he doesn't get points for just passing the basic.)

Lol! I know saying « I love his tailoring » is like saying « the quality is great »... It’s the least we can expect at those prices.

But I think Olivier and Alessandro they have managed to create a vision of their own despite all the references they have pulled from.

With Demna, there’s still the Margiela thing behind that is most of time less than subtle. We all were in love with the debut season of Vetements because it was straight up 2003/2005 Margiela. I feel like someone like Marc Jacobs has actually referenced Margiela in a clever and personal way.

 

[jeanclaude]

Whether he has that brand of talent that will evolve and become bigger a decade after his initial breakout remains to be seen. Many talents create an impact for maybe 5 years then they're gone... And even with the likes of Helmut/Jil/Miuccia, their first 5 years of outing were hardly the stuff of legends. And let’s be fair and be open to all kinds of talents— because if we’re just stuck on the highest of the high talents, then pretty much this entire industry at the moment would be cancelled out (except for maybe Haider).

But what can Demna evolve? The number of logos he places over his hoodies? The number of times he rips-off from Margiela´s work? I really cannot see evolution in him, when all I see is plain degeneration (his first Balenciaga collection was more powerful than the next ones, for example....and even the first one was nothing to die for!).

The highest of the high talents are the ones who shape fashion history, the comparisons cannot be avoided...by the way, I add Rick Owens and Junya Watanabe to the current list of nowadays big (and scarce) talents (and yes, Haider is another member of that list).

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Your guess is as good as mine on what Demna can evolve from what he's doing LOL …And frankly, I wouldn’t miss Demna the least if he never designed again.

You know Lola, as much as I’ve been indifferent to Karl’s Chanel from the beginning, the fashions always were impressive when you get to see and touch them up close. My BFF’s mum wears Chanel— which meant that she wore her mum’s Chanel when we were teens. And it is such a definition of luxury and couture to see in person. Sometimes (high) fashion doesn’t need to change the world and make a fundamental design statement. Sometimes it just needs to create pure joy and hedonistic frivolity for the wearer— and Karl’s Chanel did that wonderfully. And I see Olivier’s Balmain possessing that sensibility in his designs/shows/campaigns now. (But like Demna, I wouldn’t miss him the least if he left fashion.)

 

[Frederic01]

Does anyone happen to have access to this article from BoF?

The Business Vision Behind Balenciaga’s ‘New Era’

From a couture revival to winning the Met Gala, the Kering-owned brand is white-hot. Ahead of its buzzed-about Paris Fashion Week show Saturday, CEO Cedric Charbit speaks to BoF about the strategy behind ‘new era’ Balenciaga and his plan for pushing sales to the next level.

businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/the-business-vision-behind-balenciagas-new-era/