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Balenciaga, Paris Fashion Week’s most anticipated collection, was all eyes on Demna, the brand’s creative director. Demna used his platform as a way to pay tribute to Ukrainians. It was a dramatic show that evoked deep anxiety about the future.
The humanitarian crisis in eastern Europe, where over 1.5 million Ukrainians have fled their country, is close to home for the designer.
Demna, who prefers not to be identified by his last name, was born in Sukhumi in Georgia. This city saw heavy fighting during Georgia’s civil war of the 1990s. The designer and his family were among the many thousands who fled Sukhumi during conflict in the disputed Abkhazia region. Russia considers it independent, despite Georgia being internationally recognized as Georgia.
“The war against Ukraine has triggered the pain from a past trauma that I have carried in my body since 1993, when it happened to my home country, and I became a permanent refugee,” he wrote in a note he gave to guests attending the Fall-Winter 2022 concert, which was held on Sunday in the outskirts Paris.
In a touching moment, the designer read a poem by Oleksandr Oles in Ukrainian. Demna didn’t provide translations as she wanted its message of strength to be understood by all. In another gesture, guests were presented with Ukrainian flags draped on their seats.
Models walked through artificial snow and biting wind during the show, some with large leather trashbags (or trash bags, as the show notes called them).
A look from Balenciaga’s Fall-2022 collection, presented at Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Balenciaga
The collection was created before the war in Ukraine brokeout, but it was easy not to draw parallels. Demna, speaking backstage to reporters, said that the set, staging, and shocking production — a stirring production — were deliberately inspired by his 30 year-old experience with conflict and displacement.
Demna also pointed out that the severity of the set was originally a partial commentary on climate change and how, due to global warming snow may need to be rendered digitally in future. The audience was separated by the circular set by a glass wall. This created an IRL livestream.
Demna responded to the war in Ukraine on the show, but it wasn’t her first. Balenciaga posted the image of Ukraine’s flag to his Instagram account last week. He also stated that all of the company channels would be sharing information about how to help relief causes. The label also stated that it would provide direction on how to find verified information.
A look at Balenciaga’s Fall-Winter 2022 collection presented at Paris Fashion Week. Credit: Balenciaga
Balenciaga has since removed the image from its grid and uploaded images from that show. Balenciaga still offers a link to donate the World Food Programme in its Instagram highlights section.
Kim Kardashian wore the tape look in the audience. Credit: Balenciaga
The show ended without a conclusion, which is where models usually file out together to take one final walk as a group. Instead, the last model left set to an intense, oppressive track by BFRND electronic music composer. The fake sky above the set lit up and flickered, adding drama to the man-made climate.
Demna stated that he considered cancelling the show during the week leading to it. He was reflecting on the fact, however, that fashion “loses its relevance” and “has lost its right to exist.”
He wrote, “Fashion week feels a kind of absurdity.”
He came to the conclusion, however, that to call off the event would be “giving in” and “surrendering myself to the evil that had already hurt me so much… I realized that I cannot continue to sacrifice parts of myself to this senseless, heartless war for my ego.
The show achieved what the designer is known for: It forced viewers to ask questions.
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