Dear Shaded Viewers,
Demna, known for his penchant for surprise and disruption, once again pushed boundaries with Balenciaga’s latest collection. The show began with a series of standard-sized business suits, a move that was both unexpected and intriguing. This marked one of the most commercially viable collections under Demna’s creative direction, yet it still managed to retain his signature avant-garde flair.
The collection was a masterful blend of corporate attire, sportswear, and conceptual design, creating a wardrobe that felt both urgent and timeless. Highlights included moth-eaten suits and bold statements like fur collars on sweatshirts emblazoned with “Luxury,” redefining luxury as comfort and appealing to a new clientele. This shift reflects a broader trend in fashion where comfort and versatility are increasingly valued.
The show’s venue, a maze-like structure at the Cour du Dôme des Invalides, served as a clever metaphor for the diverse paths in modern fashion. Guests experienced the collection in an immersive manner, with models navigating narrow corridors that brought the audience closer to the action.
This season, Demna collaborated with PUMA, integrating distressed Speedcat sneakers and multi-hued tracksuits seamlessly into the collection. These pieces showcased Balenciaga’s ability to merge high fashion with streetwear sensibilities effectively.
The collection’s focus on comfort and versatility was evident in its diverse range of looks, from minimalist corporate suits with intentional wrinkles and moth holes to oversized denim jackets and puffers. Each piece carried Demna’s signature twist, with materials like leather and cashmere adding a luxurious touch, while distressed denim and fuzzy bathrobes brought a casual feel.
Ultimately, Balenciaga’s FW25 collection served as a commentary on contemporary fashion, challenging traditional notions of luxury and style. The inclusion of a fur-lined hoodie with “luxury” emblazoned on it cleverly subverted high-end fashion tropes, while resin-treated jeans added an element of permanence to the collection’s more distressed pieces. Demna’s vision for the brand continues to blend high fashion with streetwear and conceptual design, reflecting the dynamic landscape of modern fashion.
Later,
Diane
For your pleasure, the press release that gives you more details on the collection:
standard |’stæn.dəd| >n. a recognized or established level of quality, style, or expectation within a particular area,
which serves as a reference for comparison, imitation, or adherence.
The Winter 25 collection is unveiled in a symmetrical backstage maze, with multiple exits and entrances—a metaphor for the creative process. Lines are blurred, seating plans are inverted—everyone is given a front-row seat.
This collection is based on a study of standard dress codes, and what it takes to twist standard fits and garments into a fashion context. Focused on a sociological observation of the wardrobe underpinned by dressmaking principles and a pursuit of the golden ratio—an exercise in rigour, a challenge, a defining and a rethinking of standards.
Businesswear looks open with four standard-fit two-piece suits: the same black suit worn by different individuals embodies two distinctive attitudes: a double standard; a hand-wrinkled navy business suit; and an intricate grey “moth-eaten” pinstripe suit. A standard-fit jacket paired with a maxi skirt challenges fixed definitions of a suit.
Archetypal office commuters emerge: wearing a cotton piqué polo, an ultra-light puffer, and a ‘wetsuit ’leather jacket, tied together by an anatomic approach that applies dressmaking principles to ostensibly “banal” garments.
Daywear silhouettes include streamlined single-garment looks: standard-fit maxi or three-quarter-length coats— offset with godets, and a maxi trench and fake-fur coat.
A double-breasted beige cashmere coat is finished with broken buttons, and a double-faced cream cashmere coat has an integrated scarf collar. A back-to-front quarter-zip reveals a zippered décolletage reminiscent of Balenciaga’s creations for Bunny Mellon. Integrated push-up and corseted constructions weave a dressmaking sensibility into standard garments: hooded nylon puffers that precisely align with curved waistbands, a poplin shirt, and a “Victorian” biker-sleeved leather jacket and molleton hoodie.
Standard garments are inverted and twisted while preserving their authenticity: A caban and maxi coat incorporate a cocoon volume, a navy cardigan is turned floor-length and Medici-collared. A shearling parka takes on the House’s 1951 Semi-Fitted line. A molleton maxi hoodie has the sweeping volume of Balenciaga’s 1967 wedding dress, and a standard-fit T-shirt is shown intact or with chopped off sleeves. Resin-treated denim is crushed to be permanently wrinkled.
Emphasizing the adaptability of an anatomic approach, archetypal outerwear is made in Demna’s fit: a Harrington, a bomber, a molleton-lined leather blouson, and a puffer, followed by equestrian workwear ensembles that finish with a suede Balenciaga I PUMA bathrobe lined in brushed reverse molleton.
Supermini silhouettes comprising sweater dresses are cinched with a giant safety pin or belt; supermini skirts are made of knotted standard garments: polos, button-up shirts, and tracksuit jackets.
A hand-stitched dry molleton “Luxury” hoodie, lined in superfine cashmere, is worn with matching hand-stitched sweatpants. Marché “plastic bag” shoppers are made in crushed Dyneema® — a technical textile with a tensile strength comparable to Kevlar®.
Balenciaga I PUMA technical sportswear—the modern incarnation of streetwear—evokes a minimal streamlined sensibility; a modern elegance.
‘Swimdresses’ in water-sport spandex offer single-garment ensembles alongside monumental couture-inspired opera coats in fake fur and black nylon puffer.
Business Bags reinvent briefcases with convertible handles. Handsfree bags and clutches are designed for hands-free device use. Purse pouches are crafted in lambskin, jewelry bag suede, or leather-lined dustbag cotton.
Balenciaga I PUMA Ultrasoft Speedcats with a destroyed Formstrip omit all structural elements. Excavator Riding boots and chaps combine waders with equestrian footwear. Archetypal “formal” footwear is distorted in Monsieur derbies, booties, and monkstraps, alongside Portofino Mocassins and a Hyperflat Rim Derby. Balenciaga | Alpinestars gloves rework the SMX-2 and Morph Gloves with piercings, spikes, and distressed treatments, complemented by a co-branded SuperTech R10 Helmet. Horoscope necklaces match the wearer’s sign. Faceless Geneva watch bracelets capture the gesture of a watch without the burden of time, mirroring Frame rings and earrings that are left unset, while Horoscope necklaces match the wearer’s sign. Venice Beach Mask eyewear with modular arms make ski goggles adaptable, offering versatile wearing options.
Demna and Cristóbal Balenciaga, two avant-garde creators
In October 2025, during his upcoming show, Demna will celebrate his tenth anniversary as Balenciaga’s artistic director. Over this decade, he will have revolutionized the legacy of the house, as well as the notion of luxury and the concepts of good and bad taste.
Initially labeled an outsider upon his appointment, the Georgian designer has ultimately established himself as an iconoclast. Throughout his collections for the house, a commonality with its founder emerges: like Cristóbal Balenciaga, Demna is in pursuit of perfection.
Certainly, pop culture will likely remember his numerous collaborations and creations, sometimes absurd, which will eventually launch trends. However, history will primarily recall a creator who knew how to defy conventions and transcend contemporary fashion.
And the Balenciaga Fall-Winter 2025-2026 show, unveiled on Sunday, March 9, 2025, in the early evening, proves this once again.
Before discussing this collection, let’s go back a few years. Specifically, to July 7, 2021, the day Demna presented his first haute couture collection for the house. This event took place fifty-three years after Cristóbal Balenciaga’s 49th and final haute couture show.
While some silhouettes directly paid homage to the latter, others reinterpreted everyday clothing through the lens of couture. Jeans, jackets, V-neck or turtleneck sweaters, trench coats, and hoodies shed their usual status, transformed by the house’s ateliers.
For this Balenciaga Fall-Winter 2025-2026 show, Demna essentially reverses this process. “This collection is based on a study of standard dress codes and what it takes to transform standard garments and cuts in a fashion context,” he explains in the collection notes.
At a time when the luxury industry is going through a challenging period, this sociological approach to fashion stands out for its accuracy and relevance—especially in an era where trends emerge and disappear at a dizzying pace.
But let’s return to Demna and his obsession with archetypes. He had already explored this theme with his Vetements shows, the label he co-founded in 2014 with his brother Guram Gvasalia and Lotta Volkova. This vision, blending deconstruction of codes and reflection on the very essence of clothing, has been refined since his arrival at Balenciaga and now reaches its peak.
As he explains: “It [the collection] is based on a sociological observation of the wardrobe, guided by tailoring principles and a quest for the golden ratio—a rigorous exercise. A challenge. A redefinition and questioning of standards.”
A show where the standard becomes fashion
At the opening of the Fall-Winter 2025-2026 show, a succession of business looks featuring suits worn by four different people took center stage. What is more standard than a work suit? Yet, depending on the cut and finishes—one wrinkled, another halved—the white-collar uniform transforms. Especially when it bears the Balenciaga label.
Subsequently, other garments typically associated with Parisian bourgeoisie were reworked. First, the polo and the quilted jacket (a staple of Uniqlo’s success). But also the pea coat and the trench coat. And let’s not forget the slim 3/4-length jacket and the navy blue sweater dress.
And let’s be honest, Demna’s magic operates. The Georgian possesses a unique talent for conferring a contemporary—sometimes subversive—aura even on the most mundane piece. This is why he is undoubtedly one of the most important designers currently.
Balenciaga defies dictates and conventions
Just like in his first Balenciaga haute couture show, Demna pushes boldness to new heights. So much so that formal silhouettes are followed by more avant-garde looks.
These include long dresses slit up to the hips or vibrant-colored spandex bathing dresses, as well as monumental opera coats made of faux fur or black nylon.
There’s also a “Luxury” hoodie in fleece lined with cashmere paired with matching pants, and the Balenciaga Puma robe in velvety calf leather lined with brushed reverse fleece.
Yes, this Fall-Winter 2025-2026 show is marked by a collaboration between Balenciaga and Puma. In addition to a reimagined pair of Speedcats, the collection features looks that blend technical apparel with fashion pieces, inspired by 1990s style.
