Demna
Artistic Director, Balenciaga and Former Head Designer, Vetements
The head of Paris’ hippest design collective is now in charge of reconnecting consumers with Cristóbal Balenciaga's iconic legacy.
Demna’s status in the fashion industry was cemented when it was announced in October 2015 that he would be taking over as artistic director of Balenciaga. François-Henri Pinault, president and chief executive of Kering — parent company to the historic Parisian house — praised the designer as "a powerful emerging force in today's creative world." Demna’s first collection for the brand debuted at Paris Fashion Week in March 2016.
Alongside his creative directorship at Balenciaga, Demna — who studied at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts — has retained his role as head designer and spokesperson for Vetements, the buzzed-about collective of seven anonymous designers where he made his name after rising through the ranks at Maison Martin Margiela and Louis Vuitton. After just three seasons, Vetements was nominated for LVMH’s Young Fashion Designer Prize. The brand quickly found traction with consumers and the industry alike. It’s couture take on streetwear sensibilities stems, according to Demna, from the brand’s personal focus group: his friends.
In an interview with The Business of Fashion , Demna explained, “We all met and realised how frustrated we were. We started to lose a sense of fun in fashion. We feel it is inevitable and crucial to create contemporary clothing. We are having a dialogue with today.” The collections born out of their project are minimal without being flat, edgy without the gimmicks. “The most important ingredient for us is the reality, what our woman wears to feel good,” the collective told BoF.
On December 5, 2016, Demna was named International Ready-To-Wear Designer of the Year at The Fashion Awards.
In June 2017, it was announced that Demna himself would receive the CFDA’s International Award for his work at both Vetements and Balenciaga. In December 2018, he was named Accessories Designer of the Year at the Fashion Awards. In 2019, he won the Creative Spirit Award at the Creative Spirit Scholarship Benefit Gala from the Pratt Institute.
Later that year it was revealed that Vetements would be leaving Paris, where the brand was founded, for Zurich. Chief executive Guram Gvasalia told BoF that his brother Demna saw the city as a “clean slate.”
On September 16, 2019, it was announced that Demna had stepped down from Vetements.
In July 2021, Balenciaga launched its first couture collection since Cristóbal Balenciaga closed the atelier in 1968. Later that year in November, Demna was named International Women’s Designer of the Year at the CFDA Fashion Awards. He was also named a Leader of Change in Creativity by the British Fashion Council .
In May 2022, he was selected to the Time100 Most Influential People of 2022.
Career History
VITAL STATISTICS
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Let’s Get Physical: Getting to Grips with Demna’s New Gucci
The hottest show in Milan confounded those seeking a clear answer to the question: can Demna save Gucci? What we got was an urgent meditation on beauty and sex. ‘Clear and attractive and hot. More than ever, I need fashion to be like that for me,’ the designer told Tim Blanks, ‘and Gucci is a perfect place for it.’
Let’s Get Physical: Getting to Grips with Demna’s New Gucci
The hottest show in Milan confounded those seeking a clear answer to the question: can Demna save Gucci? What we got was an urgent meditation on beauty and sex. ‘Clear and attractive and hot. More than ever, I need fashion to be like that for me,’ the designer told Tim Blanks, ‘and Gucci is a perfect place for it.’
Milan Day Four: Gucci and Demna — Milan’s Main Act
The most hotly anticipated show of the week was also its most polarising. But there was more on the menu on day four of the Milan shows, reports Angelo Flaccavento.
Milan Day Four: Gucci and Demna — Milan’s Main Act
The most hotly anticipated show of the week was also its most polarising. But there was more on the menu on day four of the Milan shows, reports Angelo Flaccavento.
This Week: Gucci, Fendi and Marni Put to the Test
Kering, LVMH and OTB all have significant skin in the game this Milan Fashion Week with new designer runway debuts at storied Italian brands.
This Week: Gucci, Fendi and Marni Put to the Test
Kering, LVMH and OTB all have significant skin in the game this Milan Fashion Week with new designer runway debuts at storied Italian brands.
‘Less Cynical, More Human’: Inside Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga Vision
With his latest collection for men and women, Piccioli confirms a softer, less confrontational direction for the Parisian house known for its radical fashion statements. ‘There's nothing worse than trying to be cool,’ the designer said.
‘Less Cynical, More Human’: Inside Pierpaolo Piccioli’s Balenciaga Vision
With his latest collection for men and women, Piccioli confirms a softer, less confrontational direction for the Parisian house known for its radical fashion statements. ‘There's nothing worse than trying to be cool,’ the designer said.
Gucci’s Demna Debut Boosting Store Traffic
The brand has successfully harnessed the designer’s buzzy Milan fashion week presentation to draw shoppers back to its stores in the key US market, after years of lackluster sales, data shows.
Gucci’s Demna Debut Boosting Store Traffic
The brand has successfully harnessed the designer’s buzzy Milan fashion week presentation to draw shoppers back to its stores in the key US market, after years of lackluster sales, data shows.
How Demna Put Gucci Back in the Fashion Conversation
The subversive designer didn’t need a runway show to shift the narrative around Kering’s troubled flagship this week. Best-in-class creative directors are increasingly cross-cultural curators who can conjure up media experiences as well as they do clothes.
How Demna Put Gucci Back in the Fashion Conversation
The subversive designer didn’t need a runway show to shift the narrative around Kering’s troubled flagship this week. Best-in-class creative directors are increasingly cross-cultural curators who can conjure up media experiences as well as they do clothes.
Demna and Gucci: Written in the Stars
A look book and a movie were all it took to propel Gucci back into the fashion conversation. But Demna already has his sights set on a February show inflected with ‘a new minimalism,’ the designer told Tim Blanks in an in-depth interview.
Demna and Gucci: Written in the Stars
A look book and a movie were all it took to propel Gucci back into the fashion conversation. But Demna already has his sights set on a February show inflected with ‘a new minimalism,’ the designer told Tim Blanks in an in-depth interview.
Milan Day One: How to Revamp a Brand
Gucci’s Demna and Diesel’s Glenn Martens — one beginning a brand reinvention, one already knee-deep — both hatched something new on the first day of Milan Fashion Week.
Milan Day One: How to Revamp a Brand
Gucci’s Demna and Diesel’s Glenn Martens — one beginning a brand reinvention, one already knee-deep — both hatched something new on the first day of Milan Fashion Week.
The Great Fashion Reset | Can Designer Revamps Save Fashion?
Brands are betting big on creative reboots across the luxury industry including Dior, Chanel, Gucci and more. But sticking the landing on an aesthetic refresh is easier said than done, and a new generation of creative directors face the same systemic challenges that stymied predecessors.
The Great Fashion Reset | Can Designer Revamps Save Fashion?
Brands are betting big on creative reboots across the luxury industry including Dior, Chanel, Gucci and more. But sticking the landing on an aesthetic refresh is easier said than done, and a new generation of creative directors face the same systemic challenges that stymied predecessors.
Demna and Balenciaga: A Beautiful Thing Is Over
He’s not quitting, he’s just moving on. But Wednesday’s show was a moment to celebrate one of fashion’s most indelible image makers, writes Tim Blanks.
Demna and Balenciaga: A Beautiful Thing Is Over
He’s not quitting, he’s just moving on. But Wednesday’s show was a moment to celebrate one of fashion’s most indelible image makers, writes Tim Blanks.
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The people shaping the global fashion industry, curated by the editors of The Business of Fashion, based on nominations and on-the-ground intelligence from around the world.
