Balenciaga Brand
- Official Website www.balenciaga.com
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About
Balenciaga is a fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Spanish designer, born in the Basque Country. The house of Balenciaga is now owned by the French multinational company PPR. Cristóbal Balenciaga opened his first boutique with Charlotte Lee–Finglas in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1914. The Spanish royal family and the aristocracy wore his designs, but when the Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores, Balenciaga moved to Paris. In 1937, Balenciaga opened his Paris couture house on Avenue George V while his first runway show featured designs heavily influenced by the Spanish Renaissance. From this his success in Paris was nearly immediate. Within two years, the French press lauded him as a revolutionary, and his designs were highly sought-after. During the time of World War II, he was noted for his "square coat," with sleeves cut in a single piece with the yoke, and for his designs with black lace over bright pink fabric. However, it was not until the post-war years that the full scale of the inventiveness of his highly original designs became evident. In 1955, he designed the tunic dress, which later developed into the chemise dress of 1958. Other contributions in the postwar era included the spherical balloon jacket (1953), the high-waisted baby doll dress (1957), the cocoon coat (1957), the balloon skirt (1957), and the sack dress (1957). Finally, in 1959 his work culminated in the Empire line, with high-waisted dresses and coats cut like kimonos. In the 1960s, Balenciaga was an innovator in his use of fabrics and tended toward heavy fabrics, intricate embroidery, and bold materials. Several designers who have worked for Balenciaga would go on to open their own successful couture houses, notably Oscar de la Renta (1949) and Emanuel Ungaro (1958). However, his most famous and noted Protege was Hubert de Givenchy who went on to open the house of Givenchy. In 1986, Jacques Bogart S.A. acquired the rights to Balenciaga, and opened a new ready-to-wear line, Le Dix. The first collection was designed by Michel Goma who was replaced in 1992 with designer Josephus Melchior Thimister. During Thimister's term, a young Nicolas Ghesquiere joined as a license designer and was eventually promoted to head designer in 1997. Balenciaga is now owned by the Gucci Group (part of PPR) as its womenswear and menswear is headed by Nicolas Ghesquière. His designs have attracted many admirers such as [[Vogue]]’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour and Teen Vogue’s editor-in-chief [[Amy Astley]].
Contact Info
| Parent Company | Gucci Group |
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Represented By See all
| Company | Service | Agent |
|---|---|---|
| PR Consulting | Public Relations | |
| PPR SA | Owned & Operated | |
| Pearce LLP | Legal Counsel |
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