Balenciaga’s back at it again.
Balenciaga held a fashion show outside its native Paris for the first time. The star-studded front-row—including Megan Thee Stallion, Christine Quinn of Selling Sunset, Pharell, and Ye—the spring 2023 show proves how, as much as Balenciaga’s around to sell clothes, it’s here to entertain.
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The two-part showcase was held on the New York Stock Exchange’s trading floor, so the invitations were large wads of fake cash that had already made headlines. (But you may have missed it, given Balenciaga’s post-apocalyptic, heavily beat-up Paris Shoe dropped and overshadowed the news).
Balenciaga ad is literally just cash going through a bill counter. We probably still have further down to go. pic.twitter.com/CLhIXrlRp4
— Sam Ro 📈 (@SamRo) May 18, 2022
“It’s the first time we [did a] show in America, and New York for me was an important place to come,” says creative director Demna Gvasalia in a post-show interview with South China Morning Post.
The 41-year-old added that the stock exchange was a significant location. Gvasalia’s dad had dreamt for him to become a successful banker, “I couldn’t miss this opportunity to be in such an iconic place.”
First out the runway were models in head-to-toe latex suits under pussy bow blouses and floor-length trenches. During the second segment, Adidas’ three-stripe logo made an appearance on hoodies, tracksuits, jerseys, and t-shirts, confirming the months-long rumored partnership between the brands.
The Balenciaga show should come with a trigger warning 🫣 pic.twitter.com/G4JR2yhtYT
— Saint Hoax (@SaintHoax) May 22, 2022
The tweets are in
As soon as show attendees released the show’s images and videos, social media users had a lot to say. Pop-culture account @sainthoax wrote, “The Balenciaga show should come with a trigger warning,” and stitched the ungainly walks of the Balenciaga models with a viral clip of Kim Kardashian; screaming in a horror house.
My night terrors following me to get
— Lil Sig (@ShhhSmokey) May 23, 2022
water during the middle of the night.#Balenciaga pic.twitter.com/pT4CDspAQT
Besides the house’s dystopian presentation and Paris Shoes, they also came out with Crocs with heels and a $2,000 leather version of Ikea’s plastic shopper bag. In relation, another user commented, “You cannot convince me that Balenciaga is not a social experiment to see how far brand loyalty, influence [and] consumerism goes.”
You cannot convince me that Balenciaga is not a social experiment to see how far brand loyalty, influence & consumerism goes.
— mabintou (@mabintou) May 23, 2022
Whether or not the general public liked the show (and the rest of Balenciaga’s attention-grabbing activities), The New York Times fashion critic Vanessa Friedman confirms Gvasalia’s talent for making you look and think again.
Banner photo from @Balenciaga on Instagram.
