Just days after Alexander Wang took his final run down the catwalk as Balenciaga's artistic director, the legendary fashion house has revealed his replacement: Demna Gvasalia.
French luxury group, Kering, announced the news this morning that the 34-year-old Georgian designer, who led the underground cult collective, Vetements, will become the third artistic director of Balenciaga in four years.
Balenciaga also shared the news via their Instagram page:
Isabelle Guichot, president and CEO of Balenciaga, said in an official statement:
"I am very pleased to welcome Demna Gvasalia as the artistic director of Balenciaga’s collections. He has quickly emerged as the best choice for the new artistic direction of the maison. With his mastery of techniques, his expertise and fashion knowledge, in conjunction with his innovative and carefully considered approach, Demna Gvasalia adopts a unique vision of the designer’s role today and thus recalls Cristobal Balenciaga’s own vision. I am confident that he will succeed in embracing Balenciaga’s core values and developing them in harmony with today’s global changes."
Demna's impressive resume includes working behind the scenes at Maison Margiela for eight years and taking on the role as senior designer of women's ready-to-wear at Louis Vuitton. François-Henri Pinault, Kering’s chief executive and chairman, describes the designer's style as "distinctive and radical," and "marked by sociological observation."
Gvasalia is set to take on all creative responsibility for the brand's collections and image of the maison. His first collection for the brand is said to be a women's ready-to-wear fall/winter 2016-17 show in Paris this March.
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