FW17 Balenciaga Cargo Pocket Embroidered Button Up Shirt

Balenciaga is a label that has seemingly crept back into popular culture at the grips of Demna Gvasalia. Despite their long legacy, founded in 1919 by Cristóbal Balenciaga, the new-age designs and partnership with industry kingpin like Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have revitalized a die hard fan base. It’s origins lie in haute couture, but the recent flip in design philosophy has reworked our perceptions of fashion. Enlightened to the niche of irony, working alongside the Simpsons, Fortnite and Gap, Balenciaga can easily be accredited with the height of influence in this recent decade. While pursuing these abstract approaches, Balenciaga has also recommissioned their previously extinguished couture line, and continue to push boundaries atop the runway.

 

A repetitious theme seen throughout Demna Gvasalia’s time at both Vetements and Balenciaga is a distinct reinterpretation of the everyday man. Visible in the luxurious transformation of the hoodie or t-shirt, what was once regarded as typical now withholds prominence of high regard. Furthering this ironic premise, Gvasalia has chosen to glamourize not only the wardrobe of the average consumer, but the lifestyle. Through the mantra of irony, occupations like the security guard have walked the runway, akin to the garment showcased above. Using a bold, linear font across the underside, what would normally read “Security” is replaced by an elegant “Balenciaga”. Accompanied by button clasp cargo pockets and a dense cotton textile, heavy utilitarian seams run throughout in a faded stone wash. Fitting a size large, in great condition throughout.