EXCERPT: BALENCIAGA. SPRING 2025 - SHANGHAI

"...Demna's Balenciaga is now collaborating with the U.S sports brand Under Armor, which has enjoyed rising sales within China as an affordable American streetwear styles for the Chinese youth, and Alipay, the Chinese mobile payment system.  With a Alipay x Balenciaga t-shirt setting a Shanghai resident back $600 USD.  Never mine our new Cold War surrealism, and those Taiwan tensions.  And yes, ironically Under Armor is also manufactured in Taiwan for the Asian/Chinese markets.  Can international markets save us from a Full blow war in the South China Sea? And will we see Peace through trade agreements?  In all of is sardonic absurdity.  Here's hoping.

Demna's Resort 2025 collection, in light of his Resort 2023 collection held at the New York Stock Exchange, which was all an Adidas x Balenciaga affair, has allowed an extra imprint of the Under Armor insignia, that was adored on most of his latest styles.  Spared were the Couture stylizations, which are not Couture.  And as mentioned in numerous fashion reviews of the last decade, that the independent fashion designers are becoming very much extinct in these high stakes, inflated world of fashion design.   Sports conglomerates, with their mega holding companies such as Kering, who owns the Balenciaga brand name, are all but left.  

Did Demna's latest array evoke any worthwhile aspects?  Partially.  Apart from the setting, which looked akin to a dystopic backdrop with its Shanghai skyscraper laden skyline, and Blade Runner esque climate change of perpetual rainfall.  To which the fictional premise would make a worthwhile story, despite the fact that reality is actually more interesting, with a Chinese government who encouraged hyper consumption for its citizens, while mixed with authoritarianism, is as close to a science fiction story you could get.  Demna's ragtag collective of models, which look like they've stepped out of a Eastern European underground rave, have been toned back this time, interfused with mostly Chinese models..."

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Full review:  Balenciaga.  Spring 2025 - Shanghai

(A. Glass 2024)