Rise and fall of Balenciaga from brand loved by celebs to ridiculous creations & creepy ads with teddies in bondage gear
IT is the high-end fashion house loved by evekryone from Grace Kelly to Kim Kardashian.
But while it seemed Balenciaga had been cancelled after using adverts featuring kids holding teddy bears in bondage gear in 2022, the brand has made a bizarre comeback.
After years of flogging dresses that look like bin bags, we thought it couldn’t take the mick out of its customers any more, but now the brand is selling postcards for £70 a pop.
The pack of seven cards, which feature landmark scenes of Paris, wouldn’t look out of place in a tacky tourist shop.
They are part of a holiday souvenir range that also includes a £725 bum bag and £1,150 ponchos.
Balenciaga managed to turn over £3.5billion in revenue last year, but I can’t help but feel that the brand, founded in 1917 by Cristobal Balenciaga, is scoffing at us mere mortals.
The fashion house was once one of the most respected in the world, with designer Christian Dior calling Cristobal “the master of us all”.
But when Demna Gvasalia took over in 2015, the brand became somewhat of a laughing stock.
Gone were the feminine silhouettes and innovative designs that were so loved and in came gigantic puffer jackets and bin bag dresses for £975.
In 2017, the brand had a good laugh when it brought out what looked like a blue Ikea bag, asking customers to fork out £1,670 for it, when the original store bags cost just 75p.
Then in 2022 it produced a bag selling for £925 that looked like a Tesco carrier.
Oh how we laughed.
And the ridiculous creations kept on coming, with £1,500 dirty trainers, a bin-bag-come-handbag for £1,790 and, my favourite, a skirt that looked like the rubber mat from your car footwell for £1,765.
Furious criticism
So why are celebs such as Kim Kardashian, who was wrapped in branded caution tape for Balenciaga’s 2022 Paris Fashion Week show, Naomi Campbell and Dua Lipa falling over themselves to wear the bizarre concoctions and feature on its runway?
We thought the brand’s bubble had finally burst with the bondage teddy bear bags, which prompted furious online criticism and saw them embroiled in a £21million lawsuit with the producers of the adverts.
But last week Katy Perry (who wore the brand’s £3,290 ripped leggings), Nicole Kidman and Michelle Yeoh all attended its catwalk show in Paris.
Why are celebrities and fashion-crazed fans topping up this firm’s bank balance despite the dodgy past and fans handing over so much cash for items that usually cost less than a fiver?
Seems a bit of a con to me.
If shoppers are still eager for the bonkers designs, they can pop down to their local car boot where a clapped-out white van will flog piles of knock-offs on a picnic blanket for a fraction of the price.
My advice is, aside from looking like a clown carrying a crisp packet for a bag, you should save your money and avoid Balenciaga.
But don’t throw away that souvenir fridge magnet from Alicante just yet — you might be able to flog it for a Balenciaga dupe soon.