The Future According to Balenciaga: Review on the Paris Fashion Week Show
Image Courtesy: NY Times
Balenciaga made a splashing statement on climate change in the Winter 2020 Runway Show and reminded us all that the apocalypse is coming—but we’re going to look great. Just five months after The Kering Group, who made a commitment to reduce carbon emissions, creative director, Demna Gvasalia wasted no time constructing his own vision on the current environmental crisis and the imminent end of time.
Held at the Cité du Cinema in the northern suburbs of Paris, the show opened with a flooded runway and an empty first three rows. The choice of empty seats created distance between the audience and highlighted the looming dangers of rising ocean levels. The irony of raising awareness for the environment by flooding water onto a runway could come across as a bit ignorant, but Balenciaga has said that they returned the water used back to the city of Paris. Varying from the traditional fashion show lighting, the show featured various forms of LED lighting. Lights above the runway depicted churning storm clouds and a flock of crows, while the room was dark with the exception of a dim spotlight that tracked each model. Intense, dark, orchestral music played while models dressed in black heavy outwear appeared to float across the water.
Image Courtesy: Footwear News
While many models wore rainboots or water socks (as pictured above), few had to wade through the water in stilettos. A diverse group of models of all ages and all races/ethnicities walked the runway, some professional models, some students and musicians, which expanded on the idea that climate change is everyone’s problem.
Image Courtesy: Dazed
Utilizing phone chargers as hair ties and AirPods instead of earrings, while also having various models walk the runway holding iPhones, the use of technology as an accessory throughout the show appeared to be a nod toward society’s attachment to our devices. Many models sported Matrix-style sunglasses and large boxy earrings, too. Huge handbags and duffel bags were also carried down the runway, which could be yet another association to the end of the current times and the idea of carting all of your possessions around with you. All and all, each ensemble utilized an accessory or two to give an overarching simple yet powerful look.
Image Courtesy: Runway Magazine
Leather and latex were a large part of this collection, which matched well with other Matrix-like accessories. With pieces incorporating tight-fitting athletic wear, large necklines, and huge shoulder pads, each look seemed to have been constructed from fashion trends of the past and present, giving off the impression of a society rebuilt.
After protests at New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week, it is clear that high fashion is going to have to start making bigger efforts to become sustainable. Climate Change continues to be the center of conversation and with the fashion industry being the second largest polluter in the world—so seeing a fashion house like Balenciaga making a statement is big. The acknowledgment of the end of time if environmental issues are not dealt with, is an example of a total understanding of the gravity of the situation the world faces and sets a precedent in the fashion community. The future according to Balenciaga may be bleak but if our outfits and bags are anything like what was worn down the runway on March 1st, it will at least be chic.
Strike Out,
Writer: Alyssa Cuevas
Editors: Gillian McKendree and Emily Waters
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