Balenciaga unveiled its Spring 2025 collection in Shanghai, a significant departure from its usual Paris location, following its Pre-Fall 2024 show in Los Angeles last December. This venue shift underscores the brand’s willingness to explore diverse global contexts.

Despite the geographical change, designer Demna Gvasalia’s creative vision remains steadfast. The Georgian designer continues to assert that the world is hurtling toward disaster, and within this chaos, fashion and luxury offer no real solace.

A Dystopian Spring Echoing Global Decay

Although Balenciaga’s recent financial performance has slightly dipped compared to past years, Gvasalia remains unwavering in his artistic direction. His Spring 2025 collection reaffirms the messages he has consistently conveyed on the runway. The show’s setting—under a stormy sky and heavy rain on the rooftop of the Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai—enhances the dramatic impact. Models walked along a public corridor shielded by large black umbrellas, set against the neon-lit, skyscraper-filled skyline of the Chinese metropolis, creating a visually striking and provocative presentation.

Balenciaga’s Spring 2025 collection defies traditional spring aesthetics by substituting the usual bright colors with black. The runway featured eerie figures in elongated silhouettes paired with oversized platform boots, which had been teased on social media. The boots, with their massive rubber soles and central holes, were complemented by jackets with exaggerated proportions, making a bold statement.

Gvasalia’s critique of consumerism is evident in this collection, reflecting the paradox of his role in a high-end fashion house. The designs feature a pastiche of elements, such as a shirt and trench coat transformed into a bag, a clutch disguised as a shoe box, and a garment bag reimagined as a red carpet dress. The pieces are intentionally worn and distressed, including the expensive bag straps, symbolizing the decay characteristic of a post-apocalyptic world, suggesting that this dystopia might already be our reality.