Balenciaga Spring 2022: The Show That Never Happened
You may have seen the title and gone, huh? But you did read correctly. The Balenciaga Spring 2022 collection never really happened - except it did, kind of. Balenciaga has always been ahead when it comes to using technology, and with the you-know-what triggering new incentives for digital fashion, they have created the ideal virtual runway space for their most recent SS22 collection. “It’s a deep fake of a fashion show”, says Demna Gvasalia, the creative director and current designer of Balenciaga, “it’s a show that never happened.”
You will notice that all the models look relatively similar, and that’s because every piece is modelled by a single person, who has had a close relationship with Balenciaga since its inception. Eliza Douglas has opened and closed Balenciaga shows since its very first collection in 2006, and appears in every look of this collection as a ‘Balenciaga Clone’. The audience members are all planted in by CGI, and are dressed in black Balenciaga clothing in different styles and silhouettes, themselves mimicking Eliza via a kind of trickle-down trendsetting even as they watch her cloned form.
The short leaflet usually containing information on how the clothing is made is also accompanied by a detailed analysis of the show’s video production, which was led by Quentin Deronzier. According to Vogue, this complex process involved photogrammetry, C.G. grafting of Eliza’s scanned face, planar tracking, rotoscoping, machine learning, and 3D modelling, pushing the boundaries of technology and its uses in luxury fashion.
Continuing on from their recent collaboration with Gucci, which played with the concept of ‘hacking’ each brand’s staple looks and processes, Balenciaga has now ‘stolen’ the production of Gucci bags to show on the runway. Gvasalia recognises the debates surrounding brand appropriation and is instead making a purposeful choice in satirising the practice of copying others for financial profit.
Favourite pieces include Look 6, a minimalist wide-leg black pantsuit pinned together at the blazer. It has several large pockets and a silhouette held in strictly by the pin in the middle, creating an elegant waistline. Eliza holds what looks to be a play on the shopping bag (elsewhere, other accessories look like miniature trolley bags). Her trousers are beautifully cut, flowing over the shoe to the ground to create a seamless, oversized silhouette, with her blazer also covering her hands. The look is completed by a set of chic sunglasses which reflect back to the viewer.
Look 6, Balenciaga SS22.
Looks 8 and 10 explore a Balenciaga staple, using strong shoulder pads and drastic changes in silhouette to integrate masculine and feminine styles. Like the previous look, Eliza is holding a play-on yellow shopping bag and wearing an oversized blazer with exaggerated shoulder pads. Beneath, her shirt collars overlap with her blazer, while she walks in sleek, black oversized boots and skin-tight leggings, which contrast sharply with the bagginess of her upper half. These juxtaposed halves create a dual masculine-feminine aesthetic that exudes confidence and interrogates the practicalities of dressing - the Balenciaga consumer does not have to be utilitarian to be fashion-forward.
Overall, this collection is impressive in the way that it integrates technology with fashion, pushing the boundaries of creativity under unprecedented circumstances. In times of change, Balenciaga sets an example on how brands can use modern resources to create something spectacular whilst still respecting their traditions. Other designers might wait patiently for things to return to normal, but Balenciaga has used the restrictions of the current working environment to their advantage, producing a collection that is impactful and influential, even if it didn’t really happen.
