In October last year, the news of a change in the creative director of the Parisian brand Balenciaga blew up the fashion world. The unexpected departure of American designer Alexander Wang from his post forced the leadership of the popular brand to urgently seek a replacement for him. The appointment of a man who secured the reputation of a rebel who violates the established norms caused open confusion among all those involved in the world of high fashion.
So who is this designer who led a famous brand and attracts attention with collections that combine courage and quality? It turned out to be the creator of his own company Vetements Demna Gvasalia, who made a dizzying career.
Bright start of the Georgian designer
In the founder of an odious brand that causes conflicting feelings among customers, many see the prototype of the great Cristobal Balenciaga. On account of the young designer working with the most famous fashion houses, and such a bright start, the underground master himself secured himself thanks to his special attitude to clothes and an unusual look at fashion.
Biography of the future star of the fashion world
Demna Gvasalia, whose biography is extremely interested in his many fans, was born in Georgia 35 years ago. The future designer watched his grandmother constantly alter the things bought in stores. He dreamed of creating such outfits that would transform women and turn them into bright beauties.
Due to the work of his father, the boy travels a lot around the world. He gets acquainted with modern music, goes to clubs, dyes his hair in bright colors and watches how fans of different styles look. In Antwerp, Demna Gvasalia enters the fashion department of the Royal Academy of Fine Sciences and shows herself so brilliantly that he receives an offer to work as a designer of men's clothing before graduation.
A talented young man, eager to create dresses for women, fulfills his dream. The presentation of the collection was highly appreciated by professionals, and Demna was invited to Maison Margiela, a French brand that shocked avant-garde collections. The designer, who has worked for eight years at the company, considers this experience invaluable. “I learned a lot, saw the wrong side of fashion and was inspired by Margiela’s clothes to create a new one, ” says the ambitious Demna Gvasalia.
Creativity and career of the creator of his own brand
He later works with Louis Vuitton under the direction of Marc Jacobs, but Demna Gwasaliah understands that the concept of the luxury brand is different from his ideas about fashion. Frustrated by the joint work, he thinks about his own company and creates in 2014 with his friends and brother Vetements, which means “clothes” in French.
A brand that undermines fashion traditions was instantly dubbed marginal. It seems that strange clothes with extreme volume and immense shoulders are unlikely to please the buyer, but the author of the collection sees those women who will like his more than extravagant outfits.
The pragmatic Demna Gvasalia recycles basic things, introducing creativity into them. He does not follow generally accepted rules, but comes up with his own laws that work exclusively in his brand. The designer believes that people tend to find themselves, their personality and choose stylish things. To see the beauty in classic dresses, according to the master, is too simple, he wants to be found in clothes that do not correspond to the ideas of beauty.
A Few Facts About the Shocking Vetements
The showroom of the young brand is located in Paris, in the most criminal district of Saint-Denis, and the team consists of 12 people who do not want to advertise themselves. Seeking inspiration from various sources, Demna Gvasalia, whose clothes were fond of stars such as Jared Leto, Rihanna and Kanye West, was nominated for the title of best young designer over the four seasons of her company's existence.
Brand shows are held in the most unusual places, for example, in a Chinese restaurant or a gay club, and the designer explains this choice with a low rent.
He is always in search of new faces, looking for models everywhere, even on the Internet, browsing social networks.
Vetements invented branded heels that resembled a lighter, boots from socks, aprons from oilcloths and questioned the very definition of fashionable clothes.
Brand outfits are sold in stores around the world, and the brother of designer Guram deals with commercial affairs.
The first collections as creative director
Inspired by collaboration with Balenciaga, Gvasalia relies on the basic ideas of the brand, mixing in them an individual vision of fashion trends, and is not going to drastically change the concept of the company. Demna sees her task as writing a new chapter in the history of the world famous brand.
The first collection of women's clothing designer in the spring of 2016 made a huge impression on the audience. Critics praised his work in the style of street culture, seeing in them the templates of the fashion house, redesigned in a modern way.
This summer, Demna Gvasalia, whose collections cause fierce controversy, introduced a new line of clothing for men. He rethought the fashion of the war years, redoing the silhouettes of the 40s to modern trends. The designer loves boots, and he complemented them with all the military-style looks.
