EXCERPT: BALENCIAGA. SPRING 2025 - SHANGHAI

  

"...Clearly the Chinese are tightening up their spending, Gucci sales collapsed 20% this time last year, and Kering's share price has fallen over 27%  year-on-year.  With the whole Luxury sector facing deflated prices from a Chinese slowdown.  It was no wonder that Balenciaga for Spring 2025, held the collection in Shanghai.

And under these conditions, does Demna offer any compromise to his anti fashion ethos?  Which if you have been reading my reviews of Balenciaga collections, since Demna took the reins from Alexander Wang in 2015, you would have noted his plethora of contradictions and over emphases of reselling backlash, which has been the Demna forte.  With very little irony attached.  So, in its reiteration, there is no surprise that he has attached Balenciaga to the more commercial and viable elements of Chinese consumption.  Demna's Balenciaga is now collaborating with the U.S sports brand Under Armor, which has enjoyed rising sales within China as an affordable America 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?..."

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Full review:  Balenciaga.  Spring 2025 - Shanghai

(A. Glass 2024)