Balenciaga

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Balenciaga is a French fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga, a Basque-Spanish artist. He introduced couture shapes to the women's world and was referred to as "the master of us all" by Christian Dior.^[1] His bubble skirts and odd, feminine, yet ultra-modern shapes proved his right to success.

Owned by the Gucci Group (PPR), Balenciaga's womenswear and menswear is headed by Nicolas Ghesquière now called "fashion's most sought-after and influential figure" (American Vogue), "the most intriguing and original designer of his generation ... the hippest, hottest, most sought-after creator by fashion aficionados" (International Herald Tribune).

There was some conflict within the house of Balenciaga on Nicolas Ghesquiere's designs and the Gucci group said that if Balenciaga didn't become profitable within the year 2007, they would replace him. Ghesquière's F/W 2005 line showed that the house was not only profitable, but also attracted a number of celebrity customers including editor-in-chief at Vogue, Anna Wintour.

The house of Balenciaga designed the dresses worn by Jennifer Connelly and Nicole Kidman to the 2006 Academy Awards, as well as the wedding gown Kidman wore for her recent marriage to Keith Urban.^[2] Kylie Minogue has also wore a Balenciaga dress for her "Slow" music video and for her concert tour.^[3]

Today, the brand is also famous for its line of motorcycle-inspired handbags, especially the famous "Lariat".

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