Demna Gvasalia's Creative Path to Balenciaga

Chapter One of Demna Gvasalia’s life began in Georgia, where he lived until he was forced to flee at age 12—during the 1992-1993 Russo-Georgian war in Abkhazia. He found roots in Tbilisi—where he attended Tbilisi State University majoring in international economic—before moving to Düsseldorf with his family in 2001.

International Economics would later come in handy for the business/analytics side of his career in fashion, whereas his stint at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp (where he received his masters degree in Fashion Design) would later prove helpful as he launched the start of his professional design career.

The early years of Demna’s resume includes stints with Belgian fashion designer Walter van Beiren on his men’s collections, a four year stint at Maison Margiela where he was responsible for overseeing the women’s collections, and afterwards, two years at Louis Vuitton where he also responsible for the women’s collections as Senior Designer. Not too shabby of a start if you ask us.

One year after launching Vetements, Demna would accept the role of creative director at Balenciaga where he remains today, and is credited with redefining the brand’s design concepts, mission, and individuality. We’ve seen his work on the likes of Kim Kardashian, where he had her covered from head to toe while wearing a mask for the 2021 Met Gala. That same year, Demna also won the Global Women’s Designer award at the CFDA Fashion Awards.

This year, Demna was also named as one of Time 100’s Most Influential People, marking the first time a Georgian has ever been named to the list.

Balenciaga, Balenciaga, and more Balenciaga! By now it’s well known that Demna regularly challenges the style status quo, so we can expect to see a lot more bold, brash, and beautiful looks and collections in the future.