A lot just happened at Balenciaga. So much so that it’s hard to even figure out where to begin, but we’ll try. Underwear dress? Show invites off eBay? Packing tape accents? We can guarantee even before fashion week ends that you won’t see anything else like it on the calendar this season.
Related article: 10 Best Looks From The Dior Women’s Fall/Winter 2024 Collection
It would be an understatement to refer to Creative Director Demna as a mere fashion designer. A master of visual languages, he has always sought to translate his ideas across a variety of visual mediums, all of which were, quite literally, on full display for fall/winter 2024. Chock-full of the tongue-in-cheek references which have become his artistic trademark—Balenciaga show invites often go just as viral as the clothes themselves—this season’s show unfolded inside a 3D block covered in algorithm-curated social media feeds projected on wall-to-wall digital screens, which grew increasingly chaotic and erratic as the show went on. Speaking before the show via voice note instead of the more traditional written show notes, Demna alluded to the oversaturation of clothing as content in the digital age and the question of whether or not fashion is doing enough about it. Or, in his words, “is anything ever enough?”
Related article: 10 Best Looks From Saint Laurent’s Fall/Winter 2024 Collection
With the AI-generated imagery backing the collection and the mashup of everyday items used throughout, viewing the show felt a little like getting slapped in the face by reality. The future, it seems, is now—here, there, everywhere, ubiquitous and inescapable. While the clothes were, to say the least, all over the place, the messaging came through loud and clear. The multiple eBay references, the DIY ensembles made of upcycled dust bags, undergarments, T-shirts and tank tops hemmed together (truly underwear as outerwear), and halter tops made out of everything from a backpack to a pair of jeans. The irony here is that much of what Demna produced points to our societal obsession with overconsumption, reminiscent of what you might find in the landfill—but being in the business of fashion, he knows that his job at the end of the day is still to sell more clothes.
Related article: 10 Best Looks From the Chloé Fall/Winter 2024 Collection
It vaguely feels like Demna is laughing in our faces a bit, imagining what our future will look like if we continue down this path, as if to say we all got ourselves into this mess of sensory overload, and the responsibility falls solely on us to find our way out. Celebrating ten years at Balenciaga now, Demna knows a thing or two about how that feels, having seen his own fair share of hit-or-miss campaigns, collections and controversies, and having to claw his way out. It was good to see him return to himself with this clever, full-circle collection, no matter how contentious it may end up being—in the comments section of our Instagram feeds, of course. Look up from your screens, Demna says, even as he keeps us glued and tuned in for every moment.