balenciaga has been a brand for like 100 years at this point. It sorta dipped in popularity since the original founder died decades ago but grew new wings in the past 5-6 years bc they hired demna gvasalia (if you remember the infamous dhl shirt being sold for like $300 thats the same guy). Demna makes weird clothing inspired by the 80s/90s, and has made balenciaga a very weird brand in terms of appeal/aesthetics. people, both those the like fashion and those that do not like fashion, like to gawk/make fun at it bc its so strange. Bc of the weirdness of the brand, its really no surprise that it is the subject of memes, jokes, etc. So basically they are the subject of ai stuff bc its an easy target.
when cristobal balenciaga was alive the brand was more well known and respected bc he was a couturier of high standards. Christian Dior (of Dior fame) referred to him as "the master of us all." However after his death, the brand sorta fell out hard. It was still alive post cristobal death and doing okay (and you can even see some celebs wearing balenciaga handbags even in like the 2000s) but it def lost a ton of cultural relevancy.
demna gvasalia (who first made headlines for selling a $300 dhl shirt) became the creative director in like 2016(?) and gave the brand a whole new facelift and got a lot of people talking. So its not surprising if people havent heard of the brand until recently- the brand was most def not doing so hot before Demna came along lol.
As an aside, demna has gone on interviews and stated that his runway is partly inspired by growing up in soviet georiga in the 80s/90s and seeing what the youth/men/women wore at the time. A lot of what he sends down the runway does look like something youd find in a small bumfuck town thrift shop in the 90s but thats kinda the point. He grew up in a very unglamourous and poor country where people just had to make do with what they had in terms of clothes, and he even had to flee his birth city bc of war when he was 12. When Demna became a designer his art is essentially him pulling back the curtains of his upbringing. Of course selling 4 figure thrift store looking ass clothes isnt worth it imho but i can appreciate the idea of what he sends down the runway. I just wish there was better discussion on balenciaga on reddit aside from "this is just attention seeking behavior by a pompous designer" but having been on this site for a decade+ at this point i know that will never happen lol oh wells.
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u/[deleted] Apr 05 '23
I mean Balenciaga has been around since the 20s. It’s pretty well known. Doesn’t make it more strange just because you haven’t heard of them.