Whether you love Demna Gvasalia’s designs for Balenciaga or you hate them, there’s no denying that the designer has been incredibly influential during his 5 years at Balenciaga. The designer helped kickstart the logo-mania trend of the late 2010’s catapulting big branding back to the top of shoppers’ radar with his Everyday line, which is a collection of simple silhouettes and shapes all plastered with BALENCIAGA in contrast lettering. Gvaslia’s bags are wearable and often kitschy in an ironic, but appreciated way, becoming a beloved choice for Millennial and Gen Z shoppers.
Because of Balenciaga’s ability to tap into this often misunderstood market with incredible spending power, Gvasalia has been able to experiment with new shapes and outlandish designs, and now well into his tenure at the brand, it seems the designer has found his groove. The last few seasons we’ve seen a greater move away from an entirely logo heavy collection with the release of the Ghost Bag and the Neo Classic Bag. Now, we’re getting look at the latest to come from the brand in a newly-released Pre-Fall 2021 lookbook.
Featuring a slew of bags, the images are set around the world via some photoshopping, and the collection is important because as a whole it makes a statement. RTW bears references to Gay Pride, which is a very personal touch to the collection. Gvaslia told Vogue Runway “I’m gay. I grew up in a society where I couldn’t have worn that, and there are places in the world that you cannot today. It’s important to push through against homophobia. I’m not someone who goes out in the street and shouts. But this is the political fashion activism I can do.”
The RTW collection is also noteworthy in that it is entirely sustainable, which the designer himself pushed for when creating this collection, believing that a brand as influential as Balenciaga has the power to create a greater change throughout the industry as a whole. As for the bags, the Neo Classic is featured throughout alongside new and noteworthy designs reminiscent of Balenciaga’s past. Big moto hardware is seen throughout alongside plaid shoppers evocative of the designer’s early days at the brand. A softer, more relaxed version of the Balenciaga Hourglass bag is seen in this collection as well and the bag’s recent appearance on the Gucci runway proves the Hourglass is here to stay. View more from the collection below.
[images via Vogue Runway]
