EXCERPT: BALENCIAGA PRE-FALL 2023.

"...Demna knows very well that the East, more so the youth of Shanghai and Beijing have an obsession, as does the West of celebritydom, and that feigned instant connection of sharing the same space with a celebrity via social media.  Or, be it the delusion that one could emulate fame, simply by developing a mirrored presence on those 24/7 digital relays.  So, it is not surprising that Demna has ensembled an array of actual celebrities to represent his version of Balenciaga.  And of course there is the occasional misfire, so far that would be known as the anti-Semitic and Twitter obsessed 'Ye', formally known as Kayne West.  Who, for the most part, with his Yeezy x Adidas collaboration, had very much invested into Balenciaga's collaborative framework.  Inspired by Demna's 1990's esque streetwear trends of limited sneaker ranges and alterating established brand name styles.  Has all but fallen into a heap, when the mega conglomerate Adidas pulling the plug in relation to Ye's anti Jewish rhetoric.  This is the peril of relying on a mix bag of celebrities to sell a product.  And it reminds me, in its similarity, of the collapse of the crypto exchange FTX, who had also used a plethora of celebrities to sell their 'coins' via Twitter and other social media outlets.  Only to be frantically deleting their tweets after the crypto Ponzi scheme was investigated for fraud by the FBI.

Demna's Pre-Fall 2023 collection has attempted to bring Balenciaga back to a rawer from, which as noted in my review of his return to the runway after the controversy, maybe a reset of sorts.  And the Georgian designer does work best when he simplifies the brand with cleverly detailed tweaks, which in turn creates an interest for the Demna Balenciaga fanbase..."

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Full review: chiasmusmagazine.blogspot.com/2023/05/balenciaga-pre-fall-2023.html 

(A.Glass 2023)