Balenciaga SS 2022: the rediscovery of irony

We are now used to expecting crazy presentations when it comes to Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga. As a preview of the show they made a video with the Simpsons, which incredibly (or maybe not) the producers of the series wanted to participate in. Smiling and laughing was part of the package looking at this story, and perhaps already from this we should have imagined that the real preview of the collection was, in fact, having fun.

Demna said he always loved the Simpsons because of the irony, and she also admitted that when she contacted the production he had very little hope of success. And instead! “Matt Groening was great,” he said. During the closing period, we certainly saw a lot of television and probably the designer thought it was time to have a laugh even during the fashion shows.

This is one of the big – huge – changes we are seeing during the presentations of the new collections. The shows are taking a different turn from the one we know. Less austerity, more spectacle.

And so Demna Gvasalia literally wanted to joke with his guests. Each seated inside the Théâtre du Châtelet, facing a large screen to watch. The outside with the red carpet was projected in streaming on it, on which hypothetical celebrities arrived gradually, with a screaming audience. Celebrities who were actually the models wearing the collection. And so everyone realized that they were part of a joke, and if Demna thought he was getting a few smiles, he even got loud laughs.

Everyone on the screen was able to see the clothes and their details, thanks to the real-time shooting and enlargements. And details, we can say, are always incredible to see but often get lost in the fashion show. It is a collection in which black, if previously it was predominant, becomes almost absolute. Except for a few rare pop color spots and a pair of blue jeans. From the Met Gala style dresses, to the seriousness of the suits, to the total streetwear, all decorated with the goth/punk vein that is now certain in the Demna style for Balenciaga.

In the end the same designer, covered by a veil on his face, walked on his red carpet with a sweatshirt and hood. Great.