Balenciaga Documentary Fashion Film Power of Dreams
Balenciaga Documentary Fashion Film Power of Dreams
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00:00 The Rich Rabbit
00:12 Spanish fashion designer Cristobal Balenciaga wanted women of strong character to wear his
00:19 designs.
00:20 And guess what?
00:21 Now, the entire world loves Balenciaga but only few can afford it.
00:26 This brand is known for setting trends rather than following them.
00:30 Cristobal pioneered the baby doll, tunic and waistless sack dress while later Nicolas Ghighier
00:38 launched the L'Oreal handbag in 2001.
00:42 Model Kate Moss was the first to carry it ensuring that waiting lists for this "it"
00:48 bag were off the Richter scale.
00:52 Christian Dior was in awe of rival Cristobal Balenciaga and once said "Haute Couture
00:58 is like an orchestra whose conductor is Balenciaga.
01:02 We other couturiers are the musicians and we follow the directions he gives."
01:09 Balenciaga began when Cristobal Balenciaga opened his first boutique in San Sebastian,
01:15 Spain in 1918, which expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona.
01:22 His mother was a seamstress and as a child Cristobal worked with her and learnt his craft
01:27 as a couturier, tailor and pattern cutter.
01:33 Before he opened his first boutique, he already had experience of 20 years.
01:39 When the Spanish Civil War forced the boutiques to close, he moved to French capital, Paris.
01:46 Here his success was almost immediate with customers travelling across Europe risking
01:52 their safety during a wartime period to see his designs.
01:56 However it was not until after the war that his inventiveness as a designer was fully
02:02 realised.
02:05 The lines of his designs were sleek and linear moving away from Christian Dior's new look
02:10 which had championed the hourglass shape.
02:14 The tunic shift cocoon coat and high-waisted baby doll dress are just some of the designs
02:20 he created after the war.
02:23 His models were called the monsters because of the strict instructions Balenciaga gave
02:28 them.
02:29 They were told to utterly walk down the catwalk with stern faces and had quite the bad reputation.
02:38 His attention to the female waist and the different looks he used to complement it attracted
02:43 huge attention and is considered to be his most important contribution to the world of
02:49 fashion, a new silhouette for women.
02:53 After a hugely successful career, Cristobal Balenciaga closed his fashion house in 1968
03:00 and died in 1972.
03:02 The house lay dormant until 1986.
03:08 That year, Jacques Bogart SA acquired the rights to Balenciaga and opened a new ready
03:14 to wear line, Le 10.
03:17 The first collection was designed by Michel Gaumain in October 1987 who remained at the
03:23 house for the next five years amid mixed reviews.
03:28 He was replaced in 1992 with Dutch designer Josephus Thymister who can be credited with
03:34 beginning the restoration of Balenciaga to an elite high fashion status.
03:40 However, neither of these designers achieved the same success as Cristobal Balenciaga.
03:46 During Thymister's term, Nicolas Gueckyer would join as a licensed designer and eventually
03:52 was promoted to head designer in 1997.
03:56 Gueckyer, like Cristobal, designed clothes for strong women and his work attracted the
04:02 attention of Vogue editor Anna Wintour.
04:07 Kate Moss, Chloé Sevigny and Charlotte Gainsbourg, individual and unique trendsetters became
04:15 ardent fans as well as muses.
04:18 Taking inspiration from Balenciaga's early work, Gueckyer told Vogue in 2006 that he
04:24 was inspired by all the extreme part of Balenciaga's work.
04:29 The over-decorated pieces, the organic pieces and the futuristic, absolutely abstract pieces.
04:36 Cargo pants, Lego-like heels and Lariat handbags were just some of the trends that he launched.
04:44 On November 5th, 2012, Balenciaga announced that he was parting ways with creative director
04:50 Nicolas Gueckyer and Alexander Wong took over as creative director.
04:56 Wong showed his first collection in February 2013 and he honored Cristobal Balenciaga,
05:02 showing a beautiful collection that honored the founder's fashion legacy.
05:08 Describing his creative process, Wong said, "I just did what was coming from my heart.
05:15 You don't always have to do everything at once.
05:18 Women still want something that feels liberating, that feels new, that feels inspiring.
05:24 Women want to be seduced."
05:27 Alexander Wong brought a new dimension to the revered Balenciaga name.
05:32 Youthful, edgy and wearable, yet still eminently stylish.
05:37 However, Wong left the brand in 2015.
05:41 Following his replacement with Weterman founder Demna Gvasalia, the brand came into a new
05:47 level of success.
05:49 Flybeasts everywhere flocked to the ultimate dad shoe, the Triple S trainer, as well as
05:54 the Balenciaga Runner before it.
05:59 For its FW17 campaign, Demna pioneered a series of designs based on the campaign materials
06:06 of Bernie Sanders.
06:08 This solidified Balenciaga's status as a brand both known for quality and relevance.
06:14 When Demna came to Balenciaga, he took the same approach, wanting to discover the method
06:19 of Christobal's work, his approach, how he saw a woman and his mentality behind his creative
06:25 process.
06:27 On the runway, the first women's show presented a sporty, modern version of Balenciaga's
06:33 coats, for instance, turning the famous 1950s couture coats that stood out like sculptures
06:39 around the body into giant bomber jackets.
06:44 Although the brand's identity is firmly anchored in its ready-to-wear collections, the heritage
06:49 of its legendary founder Christobal Balenciaga, its leather goods, footwear and accessories
06:55 lines have also achieved global success.
06:59 Balenciaga additionally places emphasis on developing its men's ready-to-wear and accessories
07:04 lines which have met sound success.
07:08 Initially highly selective for its distribution methods and networks, the brand has since
07:13 developed in an environment that respects its spirit, through its own stores and e-commerce
07:18 websites, as well as through franchise stores and a presence in leading multi-brand boutiques
07:24 around the world.
07:26 Demna's Balenciaga is instilled with an intelligent fearlessness that plays out in both its design
07:32 ethos and business approach.
07:36 Through social media and effective logo use, Balenciaga has grown to represent a movement,
07:42 one that questions the very essence of fashion.
07:46 Balenciaga is influencing fashion.
07:48 Demna Gvasalia's collaborations have repositioned the idea of luxury fashion.
07:54 The shift in perspective resonating with the brand's young consumers who are calling for
07:59 fashion with political, social and environmental awareness.
08:04 For Demna, integrity remains intrinsic to the brand's DNA.
08:09 It seems 102 years on, Cristobal Balenciaga's MO proves just as appealing.
08:17 And thanks to Demna's careful balance of innovation and elegance, the brand has found its triple
08:23 escalade footing in a brand new age.
08:28 The brand is among several increasingly quoting male shoppers as a fresh growth avenue, as
08:34 luxury goods spending is increasing worldwide, especially by Chinese consumers.
08:39 Some rivals like Louis Vuitton have recently changed menswear designers.
08:45 In April, caring finance director Jean-Marc Dupley said Balenciaga was extending its men's
08:51 business without detailing how.
08:54 With an employee strength of over 1,400, Balenciaga is one of the biggest and luxurious names
09:00 in the fashion world at the moment.
09:03 In Balenciaga's story, innovation was the key, as they kept on upgrading themselves
09:08 and they are still doing that to this day.
09:13 With the advent of new forms of footwear, particularly the sock sneaker, Balenciaga
09:18 released a speed sock that attracted much attention amongst influencers and fashionistas
09:24 alike.
09:26 Balenciaga describes the sneakers as elevating the sock-like construction of performance
09:31 athletic footwear alongside an oversized articulated sole to establish a sporty and forward-looking
09:38 profile.
09:39 Kylie Jenner, Hailey Baldwin, Kim Kardashian, Offset and others proudly flex their Balenciagas
09:46 whenever they get a chance.
09:48 It all starts with a dream and motive and then the entire world follows you.
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10:06 (gentle music)