Son of a seamstress, Cristóbal Balenciaga began his career as an apprentice tailor. 9 years later, in 1917, he opened his fashion house "C. Balenciaga" in San Sebastian, Spain.

He built his fame by becoming the dressmaker of the Spanish royal family. Towards the end of the 1930s, Balenciaga moved to Paris to escape the Spanish Civil War where he established himself as the "couturier of couturiers" of Parisian fashion.

From there, he opened his new fashion house at 10 avenue George-V. Inspired by the Spanish Renaissance, his creations blend sobriety, bold colors and Hispanic curves, the antipodes of the New Look by Christian Dior, who calls him "our master to all".

Over the course of his career, the designer Balenciaga invented new textiles such as cracknyl, then gazar, which enabled him to achieve great feats in Haute Couture.
Media stars such as Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner or Carole Lombard dressed and paraded in Balenciaga creations. His notoriety skyrocketed.

However, Cristóbal Balenciaga, lacking conformity with the evolution of society, chose to withdraw from the world of haute couture. He presents his last fashion show and closes his house to return to Spain.

The House of Balenciaga, taken over by his nephews, experienced a resurgence in popularity towards the end of the 1990s, when the luxury brand was under the artistic direction of Nicolas Ghesquière. It joined the Gucci group (PPR) in 2001.

Today the Balenciaga brand belongs to the famous French luxury group Kering. Since 2015 its artistic direction is assured by Demna Gvasalia, opting for a more eclectic style exploring different universes oscillating from the Matrix style to the Dad style.

At the beginning of 2000, then famous for its famous sneakers with a streetwear look, Balenciaga decides to turn again to haute couture...