Moving onto a busy corner, the notorious Balenciaga has replaced German luxury brand Escada (and a quaint coffee shop) and is the newest boutique to include on your upcoming visit to Vancouver’s Luxury Zone.
Georgian designer and Vetements founder Demna Gvasalia helms the brand, which has experienced more than its share of controversy. From models traipsing through mud and rain on the catwalk to high-profile collaborations with cartoon characters to fetish-outfitted teddy bears, Balenciaga has taken hits and bounced back stronger.
Fueling a fanbase of well-heeled youth, Balenciaga quenches the thirst of those who love irony, comfort, and freedom. The garments are oversized, relaxed, and reflect popular culture while maintaining craftsmanship and design levels synonymous with a legacy luxury brand. In high fashion, the house is at the forefront of social commentary, constructs garments with new and repurposed fabrics, and strays away from traditional tailoring, appealing to those seeking constant change and new personal expression.
Balenciaga is known for being a leader in releasing new forms of footwear, particularly the sock sneaker, which attracted much attention among influencers and fashionistas alike. The house describes the sneakers as “elevating the sock-like construction of performance athletic footwear alongside an oversized articulated sole to establish a sporty and “forward-looking” profile.”
Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian, and Kanye West are just some style-forward celebrities who have embraced Demna’s creative direction and his ironic, polarizing designs, with Kim K once again being named Brand Ambassador in early 2024.
YVR’S NEW BALENCIAGA
The new location is well-positioned and features a bold, sleek sign in white light above a curved band that wraps the building.
The sophisticated boutique area 316 square metres on a single level, with a soft grey interior design.
The location offers Gvasalia’s latest ready-to-wear collections, including shoes, bags, accessories, eyewear, and jewelry, displayed among materials typically meant for outdoor public architecture.
The store’s overall design follows the brand’s experiential ‘raw architecture’ concept, reflecting its authenticity and recreating existing structural elements that exist within the urban core.
A metallic patina adds to the dissonance with walls and floors intentionally left with rough edges of brushed concrete – simulating corrosion. Ceiling grids, lighting systems, and other technical fixtures are exposed overhead.
In the centre of the space are slightly overwhelming overstuffed benches with smallish metal tables.
Balenciaga’s return to haute couture and a host of bold avant-garde collaborations have paved the way for this luxury brand to once again conquer the hearts of fashion fans.
Author Profile
- Helen Siwak is the founder of EcoLuxLuv Marketing & Communications Inc and publisher of Folio.YVR Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, PORTFOLIOY.YVR Business & Entrepreneurs Magazine, and digital women's lifestyle magazine EcoLuxLifestyle.co. She is a prolific content creator, consultant, and marketing and media strategist within the ecoluxury lifestyle niche. Post-pandemic, she has worked with many small to mid-sized plant-based/vegan brands to build their digital foundations and strategize content creation and business development. Helen is the west coast correspondent to Canada’s top-read industry magazine Retail-Insider, holds a vast freelance portfolio, and consults with many of the world’s luxury heritage brands. Always seeking new opportunities and challenges, you can email her at helen@ecoluxluv.com.
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