Balenciaga - Money Calling

MONEY CALLING

What Is Balenciaga Doing At New York Stock Exchange ?

An ordinary trading day on the Wall Street stock exchange is typically filled with brokers who dress in a strict uniform of suits and ties have been collapsed by Balenciaga models dripped in Latex gimp masks and Gopnikinspired Adidas tracksuits with Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, and the New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams on the front row.

Gvasalia , a 41-years -old

Georgian designer graduated MA in Fashion Design at the Antwerp Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Belgium. Demna has been working for Balenciaga since 2015, became creative director, and debuted his first collection at Paris Fashion Week in March 2016. He re-invented many Balenciaga 50s archived codes to his current designs.

As a creative director, Demna has brought up many distinctive and controversial campaigns such as Consumerism, Immigration, Clones, Futuristic Video Games, NFT & Crypto, and this time FTSE, BDSM, and Money Fetish.

Demna

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FIGURE 17: PHARRELL WILLIAMS ON THE FRONT ROW by Daniel Arnold

FIGURE 18: KANYE WEST ON THE FRONT ROW by Daniel Arnold

FIGURE19:ALEXISSTONEONTHEFRONTROWBY DANIELARNOLD

Our fashion comedian, Demna Gvasalia once again universalized his Love-Hate relationship idea throughout Balenciaga 2023 Resort Collection at New York Stock Exchange. Normally, a Cruise or Resort Collection is referred to as Holiday or Travel collection which includes elegant and colorful garments, having a glance at this Balenciaga

“Resort” runway, models wear anything but oversized suits, shirts, and gimp masks with ponytails or braid poking out.

The question here is? Is Demna trying to force their customer to dress like that on a voyage? Or any references and metaphors under these gimpcore masks? Let's go in-depth into the cool corporate show surrounded by the glow of dozens of flashing trader screens at the New York Stock Exchange to see the collection play out after Carrie Bradshaw rang the bell and opened the market.

FIGURE 28: PRESSURE LIVING AT WALL STREET

FIGURE 29: NEW YORKERS AT WALL STREET GAS STATION by Leland Bobbe

This is not the first time the Georgian designer has brought fetish fashion. He has adopted gimpcore since the Vetements era, Demna is not the first one who made fetishwear become a thing in fashion.

To fill in any prudish readers unfamiliar with BDSM (bondage, discipline, and sadomasochism), the fetishism that flips between being submissive or dominant and often utilizes various materials, namely latex, leather, and rubber

In the 80s the Australian artist Leigh Bowery shook the world with his outlandish costumes. The codes of the subculture have long inspired Vivienne Westwood, Martin Margiela, Walter Van Beirendonck, and Thierry Mugler who have been crafting gimp masks, full-body Latex, and harnesses for decades.

FIGURE 24:WALTER VAN BEIRENDONCK GIMP MASK

FIGURE 23: MAISON MARGIELA MASKS

FIGURE26:THIERRYMUGLER'SRUNWAYINSPIREDBYTHESUBCULTURE

Demna told the media after the show, his point was further shown by the seasonal invite –stack of faux 100$ bills that even had the actual smell of money done by a smell artist Sissel Tolaas.

Models wear Latex bodysuits under the new garment line “Garde-Robe” which is basically a classic tailored wardrobe inspired by his latest Couture collection with bulky and oversized suits, sequins dresses, pussy-bow silks shirts, walking very fast and looking hectic with a cup of coffee with them that refers the exact how do the New Yorkers working at Wall Street look like, living a life of being slaves to money and Capitalism.

His design language is deconstructing old garments to create new garments .

So what Demna actually means by BDSM?

Business Development Sales Marketing

“Money is the biggest fetish in the world”

"The blend of HERITAGE and MODERNITY"

FIGURE 27: BALENCIAGA SS23 INVITAION

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FIGURE 30: FIRST LOOK

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FIGURE 33: LOOK

FIGURE 34: LOOK

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After BFRND’s soundtrack “ Hedge Fund Trance” faded out, “ New York, New York” from Carey

Mulligan and Liz Caplan kicked in, and the first model Adidas X Balenciaga boxy t-shirt appeared.

Demna Gvasalia was inspired by the sportswear aesthetic because of its functionality, comfort, and technicity. The collaboration reminded him of his childhood wearing an Adidas tracksuit and feeling fashionable.

Instead of making new products for this collection, Demna chose the most effortless route: putting the Balenciaga logo on Adidas’s existing products such as tshirts, tracksuits, shorts, etc, and selling them for an insanely high price. Demna once again proved that Capitalism has no limits on consumerism.

During the show, all of the New York Stock Exchange’s faulty screens were displaying Disney, Twitter, and Visa logos with a poor connection, it seems to look like Wall Street is being hacked or any internal problems or just a part of Demna’s projects.

From my point of view, collaborations must be reduced, during this fashion week every fashion house ate other up and it will end up looking

lazy and boring.

FIGURE 47: LOOK 45

FIGURE 42: LOOK 62 FIGURE 48: LOOK