Demna Gvasalia & the Balenciaga Revolution: Streetwear, Spectacle, and a New Era at Gucci

When Demna Gvasalia was appointed Creative Director of Balenciaga in 2015, fashion insiders were divided. Could the mastermind behind Vetements—the label known for its ironic DHL T-shirts and normcore subversion—truly revive one of the most storied maisons in haute couture? Balenciaga, after all, was the house built by Cristóbal Balenciaga, the Spanish couturier whom Christian Dior once called “the master of us all.” It was a brand rooted in sculptural tailoring, refined elegance, and architectural silhouettes. By the mid-2010s, despite the successes of Nicolas Ghesquière and Alexander Wang, the house had lost some of its cultural edge.

Enter Demna: disruptive, ironic, and unafraid.

Rather than simply modernizing Balenciaga, Demna detonated its foundations—and rebuilt it from the street up. From his first collection, it was clear: this was not going to be a nostalgia play. Oversized hoodies, exaggerated shoulders, dystopian puffers, and chunky sneakers replaced the old codes of eveningwear and demure Parisian chic. For Demna, streetwear wasn’t a trend—it was a language. And he was fluent.

Couture in a Hoodie

Demna’s genius wasn’t just in product, but in provocation. Take the now-iconic Triple S sneaker, launched in 2017. It was ugly, unapologetic, and instantly viral. Initially ridiculed for its orthopedic-meets-Frankenstein aesthetic, it quickly became a grail item and a defining symbol of the “ugly-chic” movement. With it, Demna flipped fashion on its head: sneakers became couture, and irony became currency.

From shopping bags that mimicked IKEA totes, to $850 platform Crocs, Demna asked the question few in luxury dared to voice: What even is luxury anymore? The answer, under his watch, became clear—luxury is a concept, not a category.

Runway as Resistance

Beyond the clothing, Demna turned Balenciaga’s shows into cultural commentary. Runways became performance art: flooded arenas, snowy wastelands, political stages, or red carpets transformed into unsettling dreamscapes. His Fall 2022 show, presented during the outbreak of war in Ukraine, was both fashion show and protest. Models trudged through artificial snow carrying oversized bags—both a nod to his own refugee past and a sharp commentary on displacement and luxury’s role in global narratives.

Campaigns leaned into modern culture and absurdist visuals. One minute, Balenciaga was dressing The Simpsons. The next, it was sending Kim Kardashian down the Met Gala carpet in an anonymous, head-to-toe black bodysuit that broke the internet. The brand became both high fashion and high concept—a rare balance that few could pull off.

A Celebrity-Powered Machine

Demna’s reign at Balenciaga was also marked by a seamless alignment with celebrity culture. Kanye West (now Ye), Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber became walking billboards for his vision—turning sculptural coats, skin-tight boots, and logo-heavy fits into status symbols. Their appearances weren't just red-carpet moments—they were brand extensions, helping Balenciaga transcend fashion and enter the realm of cultural omnipresence.

Controversy and Course Correction

But with visibility came volatility. In 2022, Balenciaga faced backlash over a controversial ad campaign that blurred the lines between provocation and poor judgment. The brand issued apologies and retracted the visuals, but the damage was done. For the first time, Demna’s ironic lens seemed out of step with the cultural moment. The backlash prompted a shift—a return to the craft, and a quieter, more introspective collection in 2023 that paid homage to Cristóbal’s legacy with razor-sharp tailoring and sculptural forms.

Still, the writing was on the wall.

The Next Chapter: Gucci

In a move that sent shockwaves through the industry, Demna announced his departure from Balenciaga in mid-2025, marking the end of a transformative, era-defining tenure. Not long after, it was confirmed: Demna would take the reins as Creative Director at Gucci, ushering in a new chapter at another iconic Kering-owned house.

His first Gucci show debuted in Florence, the birthplace of the brand—an intentional return to Gucci’s roots and a symbolic resetting of the house’s artistic compass. Staged in a minimalist, almost monastic space, the collection felt like a clearing of the palette: sharp tailoring softened by strange proportions, industrial streetwear threaded through Italian romanticism, and silhouettes that hinted at both past and future without belonging fully to either. It was Demna introducing himself again—quietly, but with unmistakable force.

With Gucci also seeking to redefine its identity post-Alessandro Michele, Demna’s appointment signals a bold new direction—one that will undoubtedly challenge tradition, ignite conversation, and once again test the boundaries between the runway and the real world.

Legacy in Motion

What Demna accomplished at Balenciaga wasn’t just a reboot—it was a revolution. He turned a historic maison into a meme, a thinkpiece, and a retail juggernaut. He dressed pop stars, made Crocs couture, and asked the fashion world to take irony seriously. And yet, beneath the oversized silhouettes and headline-making stunts, he always remained tethered to Cristóbal’s spirit: innovation, structure, and fearless experimentation.

Now, as he embarks on his next creative chapter at Gucci, the industry watches closely. Because if there's one thing Demna has proven, it’s that fashion’s future won’t be found in the archives—it will be found in the unexpected.