Image via Complex Original
With Alexander Wang departing Balenciaga, it only makes sense that they're be incredible speculation about his replacement. With the announcement of Vetements' designer Demna Gvasalia ending the rampant speculation over Balenciaga's heir, only one question remains. Who exactly is Demna Gvasalia, and what is Vetements?
Considering that the fashion crowd—including Kanye West—has embraced the label's oversized, masculine take on womenswear, there's little dobut that Gvasalia is going to bring a youthful twist to the Parisian fashion house. Sure he has giant shoes to fill, but considering Gvasalia's current work (and his histories at Maison Margiela and Louis Vuitton), he's certainly up to the task. Find out Who Is Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga's New Creative Director?
Who is Demna Gvasalia?
Demna Gvasalia is a bit of an anomaly—or rather, wunderkind, as Business of Fashion has labeled him. Georgian-born and Beligian-educated (an alumnus of Antwerp's Royal Academy of Fine Arts), Gvasalia has a professional history at Maison Martin Margiela (spanning 2009 to 2012) and Louis Vuitton (from 2012 to 2014). He reached the role of Senior Designer at both labels, which at an enigmatic, “group-thought” label like Margiela, means more than just having a senior role on the design team.
As Gvasalia told T Magazine, Margiela's “playful proportions” are an influence on his designs—seen best in the oversized silhouettes and the experiments in proportion. With the rest of Vetements educated in Antwerp, and boasting past work at Margiela (we'll get to that later), it's a clear inspiration to his work.
What is Vetements?
“Vetements” literally translates from French to mean “clothes.” As Gvasalia told T Magazine, “it was a lot about the attiudes of wearing the clothes.” The brand's mentality is one that rejects the idea of a “label,” and asks viewers to literally focus on the clothes.
Remember how we highlighted Demna Gvasalia's time at Margiela? The Margiela comparisons don't end with aesthetics. While Gvasalia is the creative director of the label, it's effectively run by a group of seven anonymous designers, united by their aesthetic choices and rebellious perspective on the modern-day fashion cycle. Even moreso, the group were all trained at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, according to Business of Fashion, all united by shared work experiences at the mysterious Maison Martin Margiela. The clothes reflect this as well, with Business of Fashion pointing out the collections' ability to be “minimal without being flat, edgy without the gimmick…sober, but not basic.”
While it's beginning its fifth season, Vetements only sees Gvasalia at the helm starting at the tail end of last year. His brother, Guram Gvasalia is involved creatively, but focuses on the business. Like Kanye West's well-documented love of Margiela, West has also been seen wearing Vetements around L.A. and Paris, snapping a legendary picture at with Lorde at Paris Fashion Week back in March.
What is Gvasalia Doing at Balenciaga?
“We really wanted…someone capable of reshuffling the cards,” Balenciaga CEO and president Isabelle Guichot told WWD. Considering Gvasalia's interesting moves with Vetements, it's both a surprise, and an understandable choice.
While rumored Alexander Wang successors included Julien Dossena and Bouchra Jarrar (former students of iconic former Balenciaga creative director, and current creative director of Louis Vuitton, Nicolas Ghesquière), the possibility that Sacai's Chitose Abe—an experimental “Child of Comme des Garçons”—would take the reins hints at Balenciaga's interest in trying something new.
But noting Vetement's nomination for the LVMH Young Fashion Designer Prize, it's proof that Gvasalia and his team have the ability to create both a cult collection, and a luxury facing product. As the The New York Times pointed out, Vetements combines the “grungy cool kids of Paris” at high-fashion performance. With his most recent fashion show literally taking place inside a dark Chinese restaurant, it's clear that Balenciaga wants a slice of Vetements' tongue-in-cheek qualities for itself.
What Does It Mean for Balenciaga?
Gvasalia has insisted that Vetements is “a project that I am committed to for a lifetime,” already working on Vetements' latest collection. But for Balenciaga, the influence of Gvasalia starts “effective immediately” with his first show for the Parisian house premiering in March.
While Gvasalia is stepping into the shoes of New York's Alexander Wang, it's likely that he's at Balenciaga for two reasons: 1. Bring a new perspective to the French house, and 2. Usher in a return of Ghesquière's Balenciaga glory days. The first point is fairly obvious once you look at Gvasalia's work history—both at Margiela, and with his menswear-inspired Vetements.
The second point may be harder to nail down. While Wang and Balenciaga officially parted ways via a “joint decision,” the quick turnaround of Wang's time (he was appointed Balenciaga creative director in 2012) indicates that French house was looking for a new twist. Ghesquière was certainly a more romantic, classic designer, likening his vision for the brand to a “little Chanel or Prada” in a 2013 interview with Business of Fashion.
Ghesquière is still a talented designer in his own right, and he helped shape the aesthetic of Balenciaga—something that Gvasalia would be in charge of—especially when it comes to retooling Balenciaga's earlier work for a modern consumer. While this was the initial thought with Wang, clearly that partnership didn't work as well as either party hoped.
However, with Vetements' commercial appeal (as noted in The Cut), coupled with insights from Ghesquière's inside perspective on Balenciaga, and the pairing could benefit both parties with both a “new” style that (as any good business will remind you) should sell. What a time to be alive.