The spanish couturier Cristòbal Balenciaga opened his first boutique in San Sebastian, Spain, in 1919, when he was 24 years old. In 1937, he moved to Paris where he operated the most exclusive and expensive atelier. To celebrate 100 years of the Maison, the Victoria and Albert Museum of London runs a retrospective exhibition of one of the most avant gard designers (till 18 February 2018). As Balenciaga said: “A couturier must be an architect for the design, a sculptor for the shape, a painter for the colour, a musician for the harmony and a philosopher for the temperance”. The exhibit includes more than 100 garments among which his iconic baby doll dress, envelope dress and cocoon coat, 20 hats, different sketches, photos and fabric samples.
Balenciaga is famous for his innovative silhouettes and dresses construction. He was revered by his contemporaries including Coco Chanel and Christian Dior who called him "the master of us all", and his style has inspired some of the world's most well know designers such as Givenchy, Courrege and modern day designers like Gareth Pugh and Simone Rocha. Today the new creative director of the Maison (which has become one of the luxury branches of François Pinault’s Kering group) is Demna Gvasalia.