Looking at Demna Gvasalia‘ pre-fall 2018 collection for Balenciaga, it’s quite clear that the designer has fully consolidated his persona into the maison. To such extent, that within his five seasons at the brand he has established cult pieces and cult vibe (like the spandex pantashoes, the Knife mule, the tea-dress, THAT “messy” look). Also, wherever you look, Balenciaga is an international top-seller. But once you take a peek at Gvasalia’s past approach towards fashion (that made everyone feel obsessed with him and his Vetements pals), and see what’s at Balenciaga now, I guess the ‘bad guy’ of fashion dramatically became a success story of the big luxury corporation, Kering. I know a pre-collection should sell, but right now it’s just about flipping prints and switching one neon colour for another. The spark that used to be there with every Balenciaga collection by Gvasalia, even the commercial ones, has gone. Let’s hope it’s a temporary phase…

Collage by Edward Kanarecki.