Demna is here to give a performance on the fetishization of finance, not a lesson on the pitfalls of capitalism. It’s why the creative director decided to show Balenciaga’s Spring 2023 collection on the trading floor at the New York Stock Exchange this past Sunday.
“Clothing is an object of fetish,” he said, according to Business of Fashion. “This is why I do it. There was a link between fetish and also money being the biggest fetish in the world.”
His choice of such a volatile setting is nothing if not on brand. Demna’s penchant for dystopian daydreams could also be seen at Paris Fashion Week, where the designer built a simulated blizzard (first as a commentary on climate change before becoming about the war in Ukraine).
With stock tickers serving as the backdrop, models obscured by full-body gimp suits paraded down the reimagined runway straddled by an A-list audience that included Kanye, Alexa Demie, Anna Wintour, Pharell, Chloë Sevigny and Megan Thee Stallion.
The Spring collection comprised Balenciaga’s new Garde-Robe line, eveningwear and its collaboration with Adidas. The latter included shoes, bags, jewellery and accessories with the Adidas logo and “Balenciaga” written underneath in the sportswear retailer’s typeface. Garde-Robe featured wardrobe staples in elevated cuts, sharp finishing and materials like wool, silk, gabardine and artisanal denim, while the eveningwear collection offered an updated take on formal attire with bodycon gowns, reconstructed tuxedos and floor-length silk trenches with trains.
Something a Wall Street trader might wear in a dark, distant future, perhaps? Decide for yourself. Click through the gallery below to see the entire Spring 2023 collection, including the Balenciaga/Adidas collaboration, in the gallery below.
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