The First Demna Gvasalia-Designed Balenciaga Store Is As Off The Wall As Expected

Demna Gvasalia has proven that when the choice is given, he will go as far from the status fashion quo as possible. While many of Balenciaga’s retail locations still represent the minimal luxe, green marble aesthetic put in place by former creative director Alexander Wang and designer Ryan Korban, Balenciaga’s current man in charge is slowly putting his avant-garde stamp on the brand’s brick and mortar story. The first US locale to get the Demna treatment (after the Paris flagship) is the ritzy Madison Avenue store. While the location may be ritzy, Gvasalia’s main objective is presenting Balenciaga products in a straightforward manner without too many bells and whistles. The 1800-square foot space, which houses the men’s and women’s ready to wear and accessories collections, has an industrial vibe and textured concrete and glass as a backdrop for his designs—with the addition of the Balenciaga logo-printed carpet first seen at the Women Fall Winter 17 show.

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Clothes hang from an aluminum foil-covered ceiling on “warehouse” conveyor rails, silicone curtains hang over the changing-rooms, benches are covered in synthetic leather and display tables are also aluminum. In evidence that the designer is still artfully-minded, the store will also display three rather unsettling statues from the American artist Mark Jenkins. No one wants the expected from Balenciaga, after all.

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From: Harper's BAZAAR US