Balenciaga: Shaping Fashion (Touring)

Cristóbal Balenciaga (1895–1972) was one of the most revered fashion designers of the 20th century. His clothes were characterised by their sculptural quality, deft manipulation of textiles and dramatic use of colour and texture. His contemporaries called him The Master.

One hundred years after Balenciaga established his first dressmaking business in northern Spain, this exhibition reveals what made Balenciaga’s work so exceptional and how it continues to shape fashion – in couture and on the high street – today.

Drawing on the V&A’s extensive collection of Balenciaga from the 1950s and 60s, the displays on the temporary exhibition hall explore his craftsmanship, his workrooms and the experience of being a client. The Galaxy Hall looks at Balenciaga’s impact on later generations of fashion designers, those with whom he worked closely and those working within the same tradition today.

Exhibition organised by the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK.