A Los Angeles letdown.
By: Tessa Dunlop
Re-entering the fashion scene after a seriously rigorous cancellation, Balenciaga premiered its Fall 2024 collection in Los Angeles, California yesterday. Under zero circumstances was Balenciaga’s recent advertisement campaign featuring children and bondage acceptable. Now, the brand is trying to move forward despite the backlash, and reroute itself in a more ethically responsible direction. It will ultimately be up to the public to decide whether or not this collection was enough to revive the brand completely.
Multiple celebrities and influencers such as Kendall Jenner, Brooklyn Beckham, Nicole Kidman, Kim Kardashian, Lil Wayne attended yesterday’s show. The collection featured seventy-eight different looks, with a very peculiar theme, which comes as a surprise to no one. Set in Los Angeles, California, this array of unique looks tramped down a palm tree-lined, residential street in the middle of the Hancock Park neighborhood. As the distant Hollywood sign loomed over the runway, and attendees lined the perimeter of the street, the disaster began.
I would like to clarify that I have actually been extremely appreciative of Balenciaga collections - pre-cancellation - many times. However, I am appalled by what I witnessed this season. I do understand the intended message behind this show, alluding to Hollywood culture, and almost making fun of it, but I think that the execution fell extremely short. At the beginning of the show, weird memos such as “This is your heart speaking…don’t miss out on what’s buzzing the streets…”, “Are you yearning for genuine reactions in an increasingly virtual world?”, and “Go to randomparadise.com…” are blared over an ugly beat. Not only do these messages seem meaningless, they are flat out tacky.
As far as the clothing itself, I understand that Balenciaga is known to be unique, but in this collection they were either trying too hard, or not trying enough, and I cannot tell which it is. Models wore clothing that looked like regular streetwalkers, but in the cheapest way possible. Not only that, but they were holding Erewhon paper bags. It simply looked like the show was put together the day of, and I really don’t think anyone put effort into this production. Random is not always quirky, sometimes it’s just wrong.
The shoes that were displayed yesterday were hideous. Oversized and exaggerated tennis shoes that resembled clown shoes was one of the cringiest design choices of the whole show. It seems like all Balenciaga cared about yesterday was going viral, and the quality and craftsmanship of the collection itself suffered immensely. Another horrific tragedy- wearing black, leisure leggings on a runway, that is insulting. From hideous ugg-style boots, cheaply made, regular sweatpants and hoodies, beanies, plaid flannels, beat-down looking converse, and more, this “high-end” collection looks straight from Plato’s closet. Simply put, this collection is distasteful, boring, and insulting to the fashion community.
I think that fashion brands, especially established ones like Balenciaga, need to focus on the clothes they are making. You can have an idea, and you can buy a runway, you can even choose to use your money on investing in quality materials…but you can't buy style. Balenciaga, you’re canceled again, let this be your final warning.