Brand's Legacy

Basic Information

Brand NameBalenciaga
FounderCristóbal Balenciaga Eizaguirre
Year of Establishment1917
Origin CountrySpain
Creative Hub CountrySpain | Basque
France
Creative Hub CitySan Sebastián | 1917-1936 | Closed due to the civil war
Paris | 1937- | He never again turned the atelier into a military state.
Current StatusActive
Managing EntityCristóbal Balenciaga | 1917-1936 | San Sebastián
Cristóbal Balenciaga | 1937-1968 | Paris
Rest | 1968-1986 | except for the perfume line
Jacques Bogart S.A. | 1986-2001 | Reopening of the ready-to-wear
Gucci Group N.V. | Under PPR | 2001-2004
PPR | Pinault-Printemps-Redoute | 2004-2013
Kering | Company name change | 2013-
Official Websitehttps://www.balenciaga.com/
Runwayhttps://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/balenciaga

Multilingual Notation

Standard NotationBalenciaga
English NameBalenciaga
Original NameCristóbal Balenciaga | Mainly before 1936
Balenciaga | Mainly after 1937
Maison Balenciaga | Partially used
Chinese巴黎世家|Bā lí Shì jiā
Korean발렌시아가
Japaneseバレンシアガ
CyrillicБаленсиага

Legacy Roster

Legacy RosterCreative Era
Cristóbal Balenciaga1917-1968
Michel Goma1986-1992
Josephus Thimister1992-1997
Nicolas Ghesquière1997-2012
Alexander Wang2012-2015
Demna Gvasalia2015-2025

Major Sub-Brands

Major Sub-BrandsDesigners - Period
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Epýllion

TimelineEpýllion
1917Cristóbal Balenciaga opens his first atelier in San Sebastián, Spain.
1936The San Sebastián boutique closes due to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War.
1937Balenciaga re-establishes the maison in Paris and launches his first haute couture collection.
1968Balenciaga closes the maison and withdraws from fashion. Silence follows.
1986Jacques Bogart S.A. acquires the brand. Ready-to-wear operations are resumed.
1997Nicolas Ghesquière is appointed to lead design. A new era begins.
2001Gucci Group N.V. (now Kering) acquires Balenciaga. Corporate expansion follows.
2002The house introduces its first menswear collection.
2012Ghesquière departs. Alexander Wang assumes creative direction.
2015Demna is appointed. His disruptive vision redefines the brand’s place in 21st-century fashion.
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