As the last model exited, Sade’s “No Ordinary Love” played and, for the first time in ten years, Demna took a bow.
Demna closed out a decade at Balenciaga with a couture show staged at the original salons on Avenue George V, where Cristóbal Balenciaga once held his shows. “This collection is the perfect way for me to finish my decade at Balenciaga,” Demna shared in the show notes. “I have come as close as possible to being satisfied in this endless pursuit of impossible perfection—the defining ethos of Cristóbal Balenciaga.”
That pursuit came through in the cuts. The collection started with clean, sculpted tailoring, coats with tulip lapels that framed the face, high collars that nodded to Medici portraits and gothic references, and structured shoulders.
Throughout the collection were quiet nods to the past. There were references to Cristóbal’s work but not in an archival way. References to the Danielle Suit from 1967 first worn by model Danielle Slavik—a floral pattern applied to a sequined, pattern-matched skirt suit and handbag, inspired by a memory of Demna’s grandmother’s kitchen tablecloth, was turned into a sequined skirt suit and matching bag.
But it wasn’t all nostalgia. There were practical pieces too. A silk bomber jacket described as “the lightest possible,” a puffer with no side seams, and a flowing coat made with weightless fabric. Corduroy embroidered trousers, a laptop briefcase was reimagined as a jewelry box.
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Eveningwear leaned into Old Hollywood, something Demna called his “perpetual obsession” in his show notes. There was a black sequined gown inspired by Marilyn Monroe, and a soft pink dress made from what he described as the “world’s lightest technical organza.” The final look, worn by Eliza Douglas, was a seamless lace gown.
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Familiar faces walked the runway too. Naomi Campbell appeared in a sweeping black gown and Kim Kardashian walked in a faux mink coat embroidered with feathers over a silk slip dress—Demna’s tribute to Elizabeth Taylor. She wore Taylor’s actual diamond earrings from Lorraine Schwartz’s private collection.
As the last model exited, Sade’s “No Ordinary Love” played and, for the first time in ten years, Demna took a bow.
The show wasn’t his only farewell. At Kering’s Laennec headquarters in Paris, a free exhibit titled Balenciaga by Demna also marked the end of his era. It featured 101 pieces from his decade at the house. Complete looks, accessories, footwear, and even a copy of his internship rejection from Balenciaga back in 2007 was showcased. Fifty items came with an audio commentary by Demna himself. The exhibit closed on July 9, the day after this collection marked his official last.
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