• Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Culture
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • Female TV
  • #WHATTHEFEMALE
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Culture
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • FemaleTV
  • #Whatthefemale
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
Subscribe Now!
  • Also available at:
Privacy Menu 1
  • About Us
  • Advertise with Us
  • Contact
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
SPH Media

MCI (P) 047/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Watches & Jewellery
  • Culture
  • SUSTAINABILITY
  • Female TV
  • #WHATTHEFEMALE

Fashion

Show Notes: A Poignant Commentary On The Ravages Of War At Balenciaga

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Post Type Selectors
Fashion

Show Notes: A Poignant Commentary On The Ravages Of War At Balenciaga

According to Demna, “this show needs no explanation”.

by Imran Jalal  /   March 8, 2022
balenciaga show war

A salute to Ukraine. Credit: Balenciaga

Demna’s 360° Winter 2022 show for Balenciaga took place on March 6 against the backdrop of a worsening humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

It has been reported that over 1.3 million Ukrainians have fled their war-stricken country to seek safe shelter in neighbouring European states. To compound the situation, four million Ukrainians are expected to make an exodus from their homeland according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

READ MORE: Balenciaga Fall 2022: Demna’s Love Letter To ’90s Fashion

Many would not disagree that talking about fashion in the context of these turbulent times would seem rather inconsequential right now. Indeed fashion doesn’t exist in a vacuum as Balenciaga has shown – the brand has been posting news updates about the situation in Ukraine for the past few days on its IG Story and urging followers to donate to the World Food Programme.

Demna admitted in a letter penned for the show’s guests how he had almost canned the runway show. “Because in a time like this, fashion loses its relevance and its actual right to exist”, he noted. It’s a poignant reminder of how the designer still carries the scars of growing up as a refugee himself when he fled the civil war in his home country of Georgia in 1993 as a child before settling down eventually in Germany.

READ MORE: Why Balenciaga’s Couture Revival Matters

The Russian invasion of Ukraine “triggered the pain of a past trauma” he noted – but cancelling the show would be “surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for almost 30 years”. Instead, what transpired on the runway was a powerful reckoning fuelled by resistance, defiance and, as Demna put it, “victory of love and peace”.

Ahead, we share some of the notes we jotted down from this show which is bound to be one of Demna’s most iconic presentations.


Related Articles

Show Notes: Loewe’s Fall/Winter 2022 Runway Was An Art Fest

Show Notes: Loewe’s Fall/Winter 2022 Runway Was An Art Fest

Show Notes: Prada Explores Its Fundamental Prada-isms For Fall/Winter ’22

https://www.femalemag.com.sg/gallery/fashion/show-notes-balenciaga-360-winter-collection-war-refugee/
Show Notes: A Poignant Commentary On The Ravages Of War At Balenciaga
THERE WAS A LOT OF BUZZ ABOUT THE INVITE
custom

There was much interest in the show invite when guests started sharing unboxing videos and posts on their social media feed. Rather than the typical letter invite, Balenciaga delivered boxes of cracked iPhone 6s that were imprinted with the names of attendees on the casebacks. Virtual invites sent to the press featured a screen capture of the iPhone screen that showed a wallpaper of Earth taken from outer space.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FEMALE Singapore (@female_singapore)

AN APOCALYPTIC PROPHECY?
image

The show was allegorical. Guests were ushered to a pitch-black venue that lit up to unveil a glass amphitheatre housing an Artic tundra. Models who were dressed in Balenciaga’s trademark silhouettes of baggy jeans, hybrid stretch dresses, bodysuits and oversized and shrunken tops made an arduous 360° trek on the snowy trail, pelted by blustery winds and snow – some visibly shaking in the cold. (The initial concept for the set was meant to allude to the climate crisis but it took on a totally loaded meaning in light of current events.)

Balenciaga
FELT LIKE MILES IN THOSE HEELS
image

If walking in the face of strong winds is physically demanding, try doing so in stiletto boots in the snow. The knee-high boots, some almost waders-like, were worn by both female and male models as they trudged on.

Balenciaga
ABOUT THOSE TRASH BAGS
image

Balenciaga is known for appropriating everyday ordinary items and turning them into It bags. We’ve seen it with the Barbes bag that reimagined those large market bags as well as other riffs on bags such as the ubiquitous blue Ikea shopping bag and plastic grocery bags. For the winter show, Demna turned to the trash bag as the starting point of the season’s key bag. One can read that choice in the context of his original intention of the show as a commentary on the callous actions towards the environment with the amount of waste we generate. But one can also read into how the trash bag is often used by refugees as a means to hold all of their prized possessions as they make the run from the evils of political violence.

Balenciaga
STANDING UP WITH UKRAINE
image

A Ukrainian flag T-shirt and a note from Demna were placed on every seat at the show. And just before the show started, Demna’s voice permeated the space as he read a poem in Ukrainian by Oleksandr Oles, regarded as one of the country’s greatest poets. The closing looks were models dressed in a yellow tracksuit and a baby blue column dress with a train that waved fiercely against the unrelenting wind – a fitting salute to a country close to Demna’s heart.

Balenciaga
  • TAGS:
  • balenciaga
  • demna gvasalia
  • fall winter 2022
  • paris fashion week
  • runway show
  • ukraine
SHARE THIS ON

Trending

Fashion

PSA: The Louis Vuitton x Nike "Air Force 1" Drops July 19

Fashion

How's This For An SQ Business Class Flex?

Fashion

All We Want Right Now Is A Medium-Sized Tote

Fashion

A Fall/Winter 2022 Designer Bag Guide For The Serious Accessories Shopper

Fashion

Rave Culture Is Alive And Kicking In Singapore For These Fashionable Youths

Fashion

The Chicest Carry-On Bags To Avoid A Disaster At Airports

Fashion

10 Fashionable Films To Add To Your Movies Bucket List In 2022

Fashion

Rye Opens Its First Concept Store

Fashion

10 Designer Clip Wallets To Keep Your Dollar Bills In Check

Fashion

Giovanna Engelbert Shows How You Can Be The Hostess With The Mostest

Fashion

See Photos From Itzy's Global Campaign For Charles & Keith

Fashion

PSA Homeware Freaks: The Gucci Decor Universe Is Expanding

Sponsored Highlights
  • Beauty Live Your Sweet Y2K Dreams With This Scent By Gucci Beauty
Editor’s Picks
  • Fashion How's This For An SQ Business Class Flex?
  • Fashion All We Want Right Now Is A Medium-Sized Tote
  • Fashion A Fall/Winter 2022 Designer Bag Guide For The Serious Accessories Shopper
  • Fashion The Chicest Carry-On Bags To Avoid A Disaster At Airports
  • Fashion 10 Fashionable Films To Add To Your Movies Bucket List In 2022
  • Fashion 10 Designer Clip Wallets To Keep Your Dollar Bills In Check
Female Newsletter
Sign up for one of our free newsletters to receive the latest news, commentary and fashion features straight from FEMALE.

By signing up, you indicate that you have read and agreed with our Privacy Statement
Footer Menu
  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Conditions of Access
  • PDPA
  • Privacy Policy
?>">
SPH Media

MCI (P) 047/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2022 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.