Balenciaga Deep Dive

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Throughout history, fashion has been a significant element in everyday society and culture. Some designers would take their ideas to the next level, and that is precisely what Cristobal Balenciaga did. Balenciaga was considered the godfather when it came to shaping and design and a true fashion visionary, according to Dirix (2022, back cover). Balenciaga was born on January 21st, in Getaria, Spain. Due to his father's death, his mother, Martina Eizaguirre, had to support her four kids alone. She set up a small workshop in which she taught local women to sew but most importantly, she took up private commissions, which helped her make connections like Marquesa de Casa Torres. Balenciaga started sewing at a young age, and it is believed that his first garment was sewn at six years old. By the age of 12, he was already on his way to making a career in tailoring.

After completing his elementary studies, Balenciaga took up an apprenticeship that was given to him by the Marqesa at Casa Goméz which was prominent as many aristocrats vacationed in San Sebastian and came to buy luxuries. By the end he was already being referred to as a prodigy (Threaducation, 2021). At the age of 24 Balenicaga opened his first couture boutique where many Spanish nobels shopped but this was short lived as a few years later spain decided to abolish the Monarchy leaving aristocrats and nobels poor and Balenciaga had to filed for bankruptcy. After 4 years of building himself back up he decided to open Eisa which was a brand named after his mother. It became very successful but only lasted 5 years as he ran out of funds. After his failed businesses in Spain he decided it was time to move so in 1937 he arrived in Paris and started his couture house Balenciaga.

His first collection was a massive success, and one of his creations, The Infanta Dress, was even featured in Vogue. Shortly after moving to Paris, World War II broke out, and it seemed like everything was going wrong again. Even though many businesses did not survive the War, Balenciaga was able to become very successful during this time as many flocked to Paris to buy couture. Over the course of the next ten years, Balenciaga created a vast number of social statement designs that changed the way many thought of luxury. Instead of figure-hugging and out-there designs, he opted for baggy and muted clothing, for example, The Tunic, Ballon Dress, and Babydoll dress, to name a few. In 1968 Balenciaga retired and later died in 1972.

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The History of Balenciaga

Throughout these years, Balenciaga closed down, which was the wish of Cristobal. Balenciaga was then opened in 1986 by Jacques Bogart S.A, who continued Cristobal's work but later on, it would be acquired by Kering in 2001. From 1986 to 2001, many different creative directors brought innovation to the brand. Today Demna Gvasalia is the creative director and has brought a newfound light to the brand, which has brought Balenciaga back to where it is today.

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References -

Cartier-Bresson, H. (1968) Cristobal Balenciaga fitting a mannequin in Paris. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/news-analysis/cristobal-balenciaga-1895-1972/ (Accessed: November 15, 2022). FIGURE 1

Dirix, E. (2022) Little Book of Balenciaga. First Edition. London and Sydney: Welbeck. Little Book Series.

Getty Images. (1950) Balenciaga Baloon Dress. Available at: https://www.lifestyleasia.com/bk/style/fashion/icons-before-instagram-cristobal-balenciaga/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022). FIGURE 5

Getty Images. (1957) Balenciaga Babydoll Dress. Available at: https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/10-times-balenciaga-shaped-your-wardrobe (Accessed: November 15, 2022). FIGURE 6

Glam Observer (2022) The History (and Evolution) of Balenciaga. Available at: https://glamobserver.com/the-history-and-evolution-of-balenciaga/ (Accessed: November 10, 2022).

Hughes, J. (1958) Velasquez. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/84758 (Accessed: November 12, 2022). FIGURE 3

Kering (2022) Brand History: Balenciaga. Available at: https://www.kering.com/en/houses/couture-and-leather-goods/balenciaga/history/ (Accessed: November 10, 2022).

Lipnitzki, B. (1927) Cristobal Balenciaga. Available at: https://www.vanityfair.it/gallery/cristobal-balenciaga-anniversario-morte-moda-storia-curiosita (Accessed: November 14, 2022). FIGURE 2

Miller, L. (2007) Balenciaga. First Edition. London, UK: V&A Publications.

Rand, M. (1955) Tunic Dress. Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81464 (Accessed: November 14, 2022). FIGURE 4

Threaducation (2021) The History of Balenciaga. November 9, 2021. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kNFJo1-wUc (November 11, 2022).

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Balenciaga’s Brand Identity and Customer Base

Balenciaga has had many types of different customers since its opening in 1937. Christobal started the brand and aimed it at Spanish Nobels in the beginning. As time went on, he moved to Paris and kept some of these customers, but many could not afford it as the Spanish monarchy had been abolished. From then on, he had to gear his designs to suit several consumers from different walks of life. His designs were suited to many different body types as he did not conform to the tiny-waist designs like Christian Dior (Sunnucks, 2017). He knew what his clients wanted, and through this, he gained many loyal customers. His target audience during this time was sophisticated, wealthy women.

Brand Board

Balenciaga's clothes were classy and sophisticated, but they were also irregular in terms of what you saw in the market during 1937-1968, which drew in his consumers. Many of his consumers were important women, like "Greta Garbo, socialite Mona Bismarck, and Vogue editor Carmel Snow" according to (Sunnucks, 2017). Cristobal's visual identity of the brand is different from the visual identity of Balenciaga today. His Balenciaga was classy, looser fitting but still sophisticated, as many of his bestselling designs were his tunic and babydoll dress. During his time, customers would come from all over Europe to experience the luxurious designs of Cristobal, and by doing so, his work spread across the continent. He was able to gain a European cult following and spread the Balenciaga name across the world to counties like China and the US, which has helped make Balenciaga who they are today.

The Balenciaga we know today is run by Demna Gvasalia, and he has revolutionized the brand and its identity while still staying true to Cristobal's integration of shapes and cuts (Miller, 2022). Today Balenciaga is one of the leading luxury brands due to its ongoing innovation in fashion and has even surpassed the annual revenue of Saint Laurent and McQueen. Balenciaga did this by dipping into the streetwear world, and now it has more to offer than just dresses, which opened the brand up to more consumers. Bags, jewelry, accessories, and ready-to-wear clothes were introduced, which made the brand more accessible to people with different incomes. By creating a sub-collection, consumers can feel part of the brand while not having to spend hoards on a dress and instead could opt for a simple piece of jewelry. The consumer today of Balenciaga is most likely to be younger, between the ages of 18-35. Demna has brought in people like Kim Kardashian, Dua Lipa, and Bella Hadid to help promote the brand. By doing so, Balenciaga has reached newer generations who follow these influencers. The average consumers of Balenciaga are wealthy men and women who enjoy a luxurious lifestyle without all the sophistication. The generation being targeted are Gen-Z and Millennials, who are fashion-conscious enthusiasts. "Millennials are projected to make up half of the luxury consumer market by 2025" (Better Marketing, 2019), and this shows that Balenciaga is going in the right direction by targeting younger generations. 



References -

AFPRELAXNEWS. (2021) Balenciaga: The story of the brand destined. Available at: https://www.forbesindia.com/article/forbes-lifes/balenciaga-the-story-of-a-brand-destined-for-success/71119/1 (Accessed: November 11, 2022).

Lapuerta, M. (2019) Balenciaga: How Century Old Fashion, High-Fashion Brands Appeal to Younger Generations. Available at: https://bettermarketing.pub/how-high-fashion-became-a-meme-cd41d42fe364 (Accessed: November 11, 2022).

Miller, L. (2002/2022) LOVE to KNOW. Available at: https://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/fashion-designers/cristobal-balenciaga (November 11, 2022).

Sunnuks, J. (2017) Breaking Down Balenciaga, Era by Influential Era. Available at: https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/36080/1/balenciaga-designers-nicolas-ghesquiere-alexander-wang-demna-gvasalia (November 11, 2022).

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How Did Balenciaga Grow to Where it is Today

The famous fashion house Balenciaga was not always so successful, and through perseverance from Cristobal and Creative Directors, the brand has become the powerhouse it is today. From the dawn of Balenciaga in 1917, marketing has played a significant element in the brand. "Despite its long history, it has been committed to providing value and prestige to its consumers since its inception" (440 Industries, 2022). Without the help of social media during this time, Balenciaga took some fascinating routes to promote itself. The most noticeable marketing strategy at the time was when Balenciaga took part in the LE THÉÂTRE DE LA MODE. This was a show set up where designers would fit mannequins ⅓ of the size of a human, and people could come and see if they wanted to buy these designs. The proceeds would then be put towards war survivors, as this was during WWII. Multiple designers participated in this, but Balenciaga's designs were some of the top-selling products in the show. This was such a big success that it eventually went on tour across Europe and the Americas and, in doing so, spread the Balenciaga name to places it had never been. Cristobal's designs helped reinvent the fashion industry, and with his never seen before shapes and designs, he paved the way for the brand to be successful. The Balenciaga name was also a major one during Cristobal's time as he would come to design some of the most iconic cuts like the ballroom cut and baby doll cut.

After Cristobal, the company was sold to two perfume companies before it was acquired by Josephus Thimister, who later on sold it to Kering in 2001. It was then that Balenciaga focused on promoting the luxury brand instead of its products. Doing so brought much-needed publicity to the brand and helped launch it into the future. The promotional strategy that Balenciaga follows is built on taking chances. They take risks in the hope that they pay out. An example of this is when they deleted all of their social media accounts in 2021 and then posted a few months later just showing the brand ambassadors. Brand ambassadors are also a big part of Balenciaga's marketing scheme. Over the years, they have brought in a number of celebrities to help promote the brand and help Balenciaga widen its customer profile.

Balenciaga's most influential celebrity is Kim Kardashian, who has an online following of 333 million. Taking her on has brought the brand a lot of publicity because she is not your regular model and, in doing so, has also made the brand more accepting of different body shapes. Kim is also a person who is recognizable and always generates conversation on the internet, and Balenciaga has capitalized on this. The brand has also taken part in collaborations and, most recently, with The Simpsons to promote their Spring/Summer 2022 collection. By taking part in collaborations, it has continued to grow the brand's customer base. The main attraction of Balenciaga comes from Gen-Z and Millenials, and Gemna has built his collections around the likes and social initiatives of these generations. Doing this has cemented Balenciagas success for the future.

References -

440 Industries (2022) Balenciaga Brand Analysis: Streetwear Meets Luxury. Available at: https://440industries.com/balenciaga-brand-identity-luxury-meets-streetwear-2/ (Accessed: November 11, 2022).

ARTFORUM (2022) "Le Theatre De La Mode. Available at: https://www.artforum.com/print/199106/le-theatre-de-la-mode-33773 (Accessed: November 12, 2022).

Bansal, I. (2022) How Meme Marketing has helped Balenciaga achieve success. Available at: https://thestrategystory.com/2020/07/02/meme-marketing-balenciaga/ (Accessed: November 11, 2022).

Fashion ABC (2021) How did Balenciaga become the most powerful designer brand?. Available at: https://www.fashionabc.org/how-did-balenciaga-become-the-most-powerful-fashion-brand/#:~:text=Balenciaga's%20pre%2Dteen%20training%20ensured,theatrical%20draping%20and%20bold%20color. (November 14, 2022).

Maldonado, I. (2022) Balenciaga. Available at: https://www.studocu.com/en-us/document/suny-oswego/marketing-principles/balenciaga-global-marketing-final-paper/6337678 (Accessed: November 15, 2022).

Maryhill Museum of Art. (2020) Figurines et décors originaux du Théâtre de la mode. Available at: https://thefashionstories.com/culte/le-theatre-de-la-mode-eternelle-inspiration/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022). FIGURE 2

Theatre De La Monde. (1945) Red Dress. Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/265923552977959360/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022). FIGURE 1

Valades, B. (2022) What is Balenciagas Marketing Stratagy. Available at: https://blucactus.blue/what-is-balenciagas-marketing-strategy/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022).

Williams, R. (2021) The Business Vision Behind Balenciagas 'New Era'. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/the-business-vision-behind-balenciagas-new-era/ (Accessed: November 10, 2022).

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How Has Balenciaga Maintained its Success

Balenciaga was missing from the fashion world from 1968 to 1992, yet it is one of the most influential brands today. In Cristobal's time at Balenciaga, he changed the way many thought of luxury fashion by creating designs that were not the norm of that time, and he set the standard for future creative directors. Bringing in a net income of 222 million euros in 2021 (CPP-Luxury, 2022), it's clear that Balenciaga is doing something right. All this success is mainly due to the ingenious creative director Demna who relaunched the brand in 2015. Like many creative directors before him, he kept Cristobal's influence when it came to using different cuts and shapes, but he added his own flare. Using fashion influencers like Kanye West, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Han So-hee has helped broaden Balenciagas influence.

Each year Demna brings new influencers, and they are not your run-of-the-mill models. He brings in actors, singers, and reality stars of all different shapes and sizes, which helps make the brand more relatable. The brand has shown its success and popularity in recent years, being featured in vogue numerous times and always having at least one of its designs on the Red Carpet and even at the MET. It is not just the influencers that have helped maintain its success, but the collaborations have helped take the brand to a new level of success. Collaborating with popular brands like Gucci, Fortnite, Crocs, and Marvel has brought in customers that usually would turn away from a brand like Balenciaga.

Demna's visions are entirely unexpected; some may even call them weird, but from critiques commenting on these designs to followers spreading their thought through social media, it just adds traction to the brand. Balenciaga brings in a lot of criticism and fascination, which is primarily due to their "bold marketing strategy (Lifestyle Asia, 2022). You can never guess what Balenciaga will do from shows in snow, rain, and mud, making the brand that much more mysterious and intriguing to fashion connoisseurs. The Balenciaga way is to think out of the box, which has helped expand the business. The brand is also a major trendsetter; for example, it helped aid in the comeback of the chunky shoe. When Balenciaga came out with their Triple S shoes, many had a lot to say, calling them ugly and unreasonable, but this just gave the brand more publicity, and Balenciaga is run on publicity. These innovations bring in new customers who are excited to see what's next. Demna has also made the brand more successful by understanding Gen-Z and catering to its social norms while still staying true to the brand's identity. In the recent year, the brand introduced a sustainable line which was a massive success as it showed that a luxury brand could also be sustainable and it has helped pave the way for other brands and designers. The brand has continued its success by catering to its customer's styles and current trends. They are always coming up with new ideas, and their return to couture has cemented them as one of the top fashion brands and most successful in carrying on Cristobal's vision.


References -

440 Industries (2022) Balenciaga Brand Analysis: Streetwear Meets Luxury. Available at: https://440industries.com/balenciaga-brand-identity-luxury-meets-streetwear-2/ (Accessed: November 11, 2022).

AFPRELAXNEWS. (2021) Balenciaga: The story of the brand destined. Available at: https://www.forbesindia.com/article/forbes-lifes/balenciaga-the-story-of-a-brand-destined-for-success/71119/1 (Accessed: November 11, 2022).

Avenel, G. (2021) Gucci Aria. Available at: https://www.vogue.co.uk/news/article/gucci-balenciaga-aw21 (Accessed: November 15, 2022).

Balenciaga (2021) Available at: https://www.mytheresa.com/euro_en/balenciaga-x-crocs-madame-80-pumps-2039723.html (Accessed: November 15, 2022)

Balenciaga (2021) Justin Bieber for Balenciaga. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/article/justin-bieber-balenciaga-campaign-isabelle-huppert (Accessed: November 15, 2022).

Bansal, I. (2022) How Meme Marketing has helped Balenciaga achieve success. Available at: https://thestrategystory.com/2020/07/02/meme-marketing-balenciaga/ (Accessed: November 11, 2022).

Chic Pursuit (2022) 6 Balenciaga Collaborations Perfect For Streetwear Enthusiasts. Available at: https://chicpursuit.com/balenciaga-collaborations/ (Accessed: November 14, 2022).

Fortnite X Balenciaga (2021) Available at: https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/fortnite-balenciaga-collaboration-release-info/ (Accessed: November 15, 2022)

Getty Images (2022) Gotham. Available at: https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/fashion/article/kanye-enormous-balenciaga-boots (Accessed: November 15, 2022).

Lifestyle Asia (2021) Balenciaga is Now The Hottest Fashion Brand. How did they conquer Gen-Z?. Available at: https://www.lifestyleasia.com/kl/style/fashion/balenciaga-is-now-the-hottest-brand-how-did-they-conquer-fashion/ (November 14, 2022).

Marvel X Balenciaga (2021) Available at: https://slnofficial.com/post/balenciaga-smash-hulk-collab-for-winter-2021-season (Accessed: November 15, 2022)

Mitchelle, S. (2021) Kim Kardashian for Balenciaga. Available at: https://www.dazeddigital.com/fashion/article/55357/1/kim-kardashian-balenciaga-campaign-demna-gvasalia-isabelle-huppert-bieber (Accessed: November 15, 2022).

So-Hee, H. (2022) 'Balenciaga' [Instagram]. 9 May. Available at: https://www.instagram.com/p/CdVWzM9Jy8B/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D (Accessed: November 15, 2022).

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Visuals

Images were taken and reference by figure and all other media was created in Photoshop or Canva.