Fashion is thick in the season of transition, but it’s thankfully not all teething problems and growing pains. It’s also a time of celebration, taking the bird’s eye view of what has come and gone; a pause, a breather, and an opportunity to, for once, enjoy the big picture. One such retrospective available to experience in person is none other that that of Demna’s Balenciaga archive — an exhibition curated by the designer himself (with self-voiced narrations that give insight into his creative process behind the pieces), culminating what are some of his best and most iconic offerings in his decade-long tenure at the house from 2015 to 2025.
The exhibition begins with a selection of objects that once served as invitations for Balenciaga collections, followed by 101 exhibits chosen by Demna — including two pieces loaned by the Palais Galliera fashion museum in Paris. The pieces on display comprise everything from complete ensembles, individual garments, to accessories, and footwear from 30 different collections spanning a decade.
Exploring key conceptual and thematic signatures from Demna’s tenure at the House, these exhibits also include his reinterpretations of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s codes, exercises in proportion, studies of the “ready-made,” trompe-l’œils, upcycling, a rethinking of fashion’s pre-established rules, and his ongoing examination of the contemporary wardrobe: What people wear, how they wear it, and where the fine line lies between fashion and luxury.
All the exhibits are presented on custom mounts or in dedicated displays, including specialised mannequins that are actually hyperrealistic sculptures of the very models who wore the ensembles, as well as dry cleaner-style hangers and double-sided mounts that present garments alongside the archival styles that inspired them. Some of the exhibits are also installed as artworks, created in collaboration with artists who have contributed to the Balenciaga Art in Stores project. Additionally, a curation of six shoes and accessories is integrated into works from Andrew J. Greene’s Timeless Symbols series, mounted atop stainless-steel stanchions and rotated by concealed motors.
If you’re worried that all you can takeaway from the experience is your memory of the visit and your photographs, fret not for a special catalogue — designed in the style of a glossy fashion magazine — is available to bring home. It features imagery of the exhibits alongside visuals created especially for the publication. Now this is a retrospective you won’t want to miss.
Balenciaga by Demna is on view from June 26 through July 9 and is open to the public by registration, accessible via exposition.balenciaga.com. Once you are done with this story, click here to catch up with our June/July 2025 issue.