Balenciaga

Balenciaga began when Cristóbal Balenciaga opened his first boutique in San Sebastián, Spain in 1918, which expanded to include branches in Madrid and Barcelona. When the Spanish Civil War forced the boutiques to close, he moved to Paris. Here, his success was almost immediate with customers travelling across Europe risking their safety, during a wartime period, to see his designs. Balenciaga wanted women of strong character to wear his designs. Sleek and linear lines and his attention to the female waist, and the different looks he used to complement it, attracted huge attention and is “considered to be his most important contribution to the world of fashion: a new silhouette for women."

Shop: Balenciaga bags, Balenciaga tops, Balenciaga coats and more.