Balenciaga presented its FW22 collection on Sunday. The models fought against wind and snow in an apocalyptic setting. The white rotunda in which the show took place reflected the world we currently live in.
Creative director Demna Gvasalia had considered canceling Balenciaga’s FW22 presentation as he questioned the fashion’s usefulness in times of war and hardship. The decision to present nevertheless came with the realization of how much livelihood depends on Balenciaga and how many victims he himself made in the war. Demna’s family had fled Georgia in the 1990s under circumstances similar to those in Ukraine now – and as a consequence of the Russian invasion.
Forever a fugitive
Demna studied in Ukraine and said he had already sacrificed too much: “I am a refugee forever. Forever, because that’s something that sticks with you,” he wrote in the letter accompanying the presentation. “At a time like this, fashion loses its relevance, fashion week becomes an absurdity. I realized that canceling the Show would mean surrendering to evil.”
At the opening of the show, Demna recited a poem by a Ukrainian poet. There was no translation. Replicas of the yellow and blue Ukrainian flag lay on the seats of the guests, protected by glass from the “storm”.
The sight of the models carrying huge sacks and bracing against the wind was reminiscent of the plight of a person fleeing their way to safety and how these people are constantly on the move and never rest. The long queues of vehicles at the Polish border are a clear symbol of this.
However, the presentation was only a fashion show – and the bag was not made of plastic, but leather. Some garments were made without buttons or zippers, instead being made as sweaters so that they could be easily stowed in a pocket or pouch in the event of an escape. One model wore nothing but sneakers and underwear, a piece of fabric slung over her shoulders as if time waits for no one – especially in wartime. The window of time in which escape is possible is only a fleeting moment.
Another model was wrapped in Balenciaga-branded packing tape, as was Kim Kardashian, who sat in the front row and is Demna’s current muse. Pointed-toe, knee-high boots were ubiquitous in both men’s and women’s looks, as were futuristic sunglasses, which provided the only protection from the elements.
Visiting the mountains last Christmas, Demna said he didn’t see any snow. So this show was as much about the world’s struggle for climate control as it was about ending the war. “This show needs no explanation,” Demna wrote. “It is a dedication to fearlessness, resistance and the triumph of love and peace.”
This translated post previously appeared on FashionUnited.uk. Translation and editing: Karenita Haalck