Who was Balenciaga? A new series makes us discover the fashion genius

In 1937 Cristóbal Balenciaga, born in 1895 in Getaria, Basque Country, was an established fashion designer. He could count on three boutiques in major Spanish cities and a first-class clientele that answered to the names of the royal house and the Iberian aristocracy. Yet with the outbreak of civil war, Balenciaga was willing to question everything, moving to Paris where in less than two decades he would forever subvert the industry’s standards. That’s exactly where the story of “Cristóbal Balenciaga” begins. The new Disney+ exclusive series directed by award-winning directors (more than 10 Goya awards among them) Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño and José Mari Goenaga, through six episodes, aims to rediscover the Parisian years of the couturier, played by Spaniard Alberto San Juan.

In addition to his fashion milestones, such as the 1951 Vareuse and Cocoon collections and the 1957 Empire, Balenciaga was pivotal in redefining the canons of haute couture through theatrical costumes, such as the one for Jean Cocteau’s Orphée (1961). Meanwhile, in 1957, also came the French Legion of Honor as his clientele extended to the crème of the international jet-set including Jacqueline Kennedy, Gloria Guinness, Mona Von Bismarck and Pauline De Rothschild, among others.

Upon his death at the age of 77 in 1972, Women’s Wear Daily headlined “the king is dead,” while fellow designer Christian Dior mourned him as “the master of us all.” Indeed, his maison and classes were home to names that later contributed to write seminal pages of fashion history: Mila Schön, Andrés Courrèges, Pierre Cardin, Oscar De La Renta and Emanuel Ungaro.

The series comes more than seventy years after Balenciaga’s Parisian exploits, at a time of renewed interest for the fashion house, which since 2015 – under the creative direction of Demna Gvasalia – has once again been able to establish itself as a revolutionary powerhouse in the industry.

Yet, after almost a decade during which Demna brought Balenciaga back to being one of the most talked about and provocative, and therefore desired brands on the scene, the maison has entered a period of crisis. The reason? The controversy related to the Gift Shop campaign for spring 2023, accused of sexualising underage subjects in a BDSM key.

“Cristóbal Balenciaga” thus seems to suggest a desire for a normalisation and legitimisation of the brand through the lens of history, which allows the maison to distance itself, at least in the narrative, from the recent creative exploits and related controversies.

The series comes at a time when designers and creative directors are increasingly associated, for glamour and appeal in mass culture, with pop stars. Not surprisingly, rapper Kanye West, one of the most polarising figures in said sphere of influence, after stints at GAP, Fendi, and Adidas, looks now ready for his next step in the fashion world, this time with Nigerian-London-based brand Mowalola. “Cristóbal Balenciaga” is available from January 19 exclusively on Disney+.

Opening image: Cristóbal Balenciaga in his Parisian years. Photo: Disney+.