Demna Gvasalia Awarded Medal of Honor by President of Georgia

Balenciaga creative director and frequent Kanye West collaborator Demna Gvasalia has been awarded with a special honor by the president of Georgia.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili awarded the prolific designer with the Medal of Honor on Monday for “his contribution to the popularization of Georgia abroad,” per a regional report from Agenda. In a tweeted statement, President Zurabishvili noted that Sept. 27 marked the commemoration of a day of mourning for the country, i.e. the Fall of Sokhumi, but added that being able to present Demna with the award signaled that they’ve “already won” somewhere.

“Deman Gvasalia is a model for the next generation of creative Georgians,” the president said.

In recent months, the Vetements co-founder has featured heavily in coverage surrounding Kanye West’s still-in-progress Donda era. Among the more moving visuals featured in this era has been the image of West being set ablaze inside a recreation of his childhood home, a cathartic moment found in the Chicago listening party/performance art experience creative-directed by Demna.

At this year’s Met Gala, Demna (as seen above) made an arguably BDSM-inspired appearance alongside Kim Kardashian. In a subsequent E! News report, a source said Kim’s look “is like a new subculture and fashion statement” and is indicative of the creative relationship between the SKIMS founder and the Balenciaga brand.