Balenciaga

Balenciaga is a fashion house founded by Cristóbal Balenciaga,1895 -1972 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.  His bubble skirts and odd, feminine, yet ultra-modern shapes proved his right to success.

He was born in Guetaria, N. Spain. He trained as a tailor. He opened his own shops in 1915 in Madrid and Barcelona. In 1937 he left Spain for Paris. He retired in 1968.

Owned by the Gucci Group (PPR), Balenciaga's womenswear and menswear is headed by Nicolas Ghesquière now called "the hippest, hottest, most sought-after creator by fashion aficionados.^"

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. Kylie Minogue has also wore a Balenciaga dress for her "Slow" music video and for her concert tour.

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