France, Paris

Balenciaga

Spanish brand Balenciaga was established in the Basque Country in Spain before relocating to France and opening a boutique store in Paris in 1937 as a result of the Spanish Civil War. Balenciaga used sleek and linear lines in the post-war era that deviated from Christian Dior’s hourglass shape popularized at the time. He revolutionized women’s fashion in the 1950s, and by the 1960s had developed trademark styles such as the collar deviating from the collar bone, and the “bracelet sleeves”. In 1947, the design house released its first fragrance, known as Le Dix. The elegant perfume was named after the street on which Balenciaga's Parisian boutique resided. Later, perfumes by Balenciaga were made in conjunction with Domitille Bertier, Jean-Christophe Herault, Francoise Caron and other perfumers. Balenciaga was acquired by multinational French company Kering in 2001 – who owns Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci and Alexander McQueen among others – and was pegged as the company’s fastest-growing brand in 2018. Georgian designer Demna Gvasalia is the current designer of Balenciaga (alongside Vetements), stating that his approach to the brand is to deconstruct something in order to create something else – “destruct to create.” He cites his work pattern to be influenced by sportswear aesthetics, particularly focusing on the modernity of comfort, functionality and technicality to create an aesthetically pleasing image.