Demna Gvasalia

Demna Gvasalia (Georgian: დემნა გვასალია dem-NAH gvah-SAH-lee-AH) is a Georgian fashion designer, currently the creative director of Balenciaga and the co-founder of Vetements.[2]

Demna Gvasalia
დემნა გვასალია
Gvasalia on the cover of Fantastic Man.
Born (1981-03-25) 25 March 1981
EducationTbilisi State University
Royal Academy of Fine Arts
OccupationFashion designer
Label(s)
Balenciaga
(2015-)
Vetements
(2014-2019)
Louis Vuitton
(2013-2015)[1]
Spouse(s)
Loïk Gomez
(m. 2017)

Early life and education

Born in Georgia, in 1981, to a Georgian Orthodox Christian family, Gvasalia fled when he was 12, during the country’s violent civil war, and went on to live in Düsseldorf from 2001 onwards.[3][2]

Gvasalia studied international economics for four years at Tbilisi State University[4] and later attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, where he graduated with a Master's Degree in Fashion Design in 2006.[5]

Career

In 2006, Gvasalia collaborated with Walter van Beirendonck on his men’s collections.[6]

In 2009, Gvasalia joined Maison Martin Margiela, where he was responsible for women’s collections until 2013.[7][8] In 2013, he was appointed senior designer of women’s ready-to-wear collections at Louis Vuitton, initially under Marc Jacobs and briefly under Nicolas Ghesquière.[9]

Together with his brother Guram, Gvasalia launched the brand Vetements in 2014, along with a small group of friends, displaying their work in small gay clubs in Paris.[10][11][12] Gvasalia has said that his original purpose with the brand was to subvert the high fashion status quo.[10] Vetements’ first women’s ready-to-wear collection was presented at Paris Fashion Week in 2014.[13]

In 2015, Gvasalia became the creative director of Balenciaga, succeeding Alexander Wang.[14][15]

In 2019, Gvasalia left Vetements to pursue new artistic ventures, having accomplished his goals with the company, telling Highsnobiety that he had "accomplished [his] mission of a conceptualist and design innovator."[16]

Design

Gvasalia developed a unique style as his company, Vetements, grew in size and popularity. Much of Gvasalia's approach still stems from his initial purpose of creating subversive fashion. Collections such as Fall/Winter 2017 included design inspired by archetypes, diverging from the typical haute couture method of radical redesign and avant-garde appearance.[10] Other common themes include baggy, loose-fitting clothing, and street-style jackets.[17]

Awards

Gvasalia won the International Award for Vetements and Balenciaga at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2017. He also won the Accessories Designer of the Year award at the Fashion Awards 2018.[18]

See also

References

  1. Quick, Harriet (May 14, 2016) Demna Gvasalia:目前来说没谁继承了巴黎世家 May 14, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016
  2. Disko. "Demna Gvasalia, creative Director of Balenciaga". www.kering.com. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  3. Jo Ellison (September 20, 2019) Demna Gvasalia: the activist at Balenciaga Financial Times.
  4. Jo Ellison (January 5, 2018) Balenciaga’s billion-euro plan Financial Times.
  5. Miles Socha (September 16, 2019) EXCLUSIVE: Demna Gvasalia Exits Vetements Women's Wear Daily.
  6. Miles Socha (September 16, 2019) EXCLUSIVE: Demna Gvasalia Exits Vetements Women's Wear Daily.
  7. Paton, Elizabeth (October 8, 2015) Who Is Demna Gvasalia, Balenciaga’s New Designer? The New York Times.
  8. Balenciaga appoints Demna Gvasalia as artistic director of the collections Kering, press release of October 7, 2015.
  9. Miles Socha (September 16, 2019) EXCLUSIVE: Demna Gvasalia Exits Vetements Women's Wear Daily.
  10. Fedorova, Anastasiia. "Demna Gvasalia — New East 100". The Calvert Journal. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  11. Fury, Alexander (October 16, 2015) Vetements radical designer The Independent
  12. Rissanen, Timo (June 11, 2016) Aaron Krach ‘inspires’ Vetements
  13. Balenciaga appoints Demna Gvasalia as artistic director of the collections Kering, press release of October 7, 2015.
  14. Milligan, Lauren (October 7, 2015) Vetements Designer Named At Balenciaga Vogue
  15. Cartner-Morley, Jess (October 7, 2015) Balenciaga appoints Demna Gvasalia as new creative director The Guardian
  16. "Demna Gvasalia Will Depart Vetements to "Pursue New Ventures."". Highsnobiety. 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  17. Cartner-Morley, Jess (2018-02-06). "'I don't think elegance is relevant': Vetements' Demna Gvasalia, the world's hottest designer". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  18. Pike, Naomi (December 10, 2018). "The Fashion Awards 2018: The Winners". Vogue. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
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