Ahead of Balenciaga’s Show, The Designer Shared a Heartfelt and Personal Reflection on Resistance and Resilience in the Face of Imperialism and Adversity
As Russia’s imperialist invasion of Ukraine continues to cost the lives of innocent civilians and send shockwaves across the globe, ongoing fashion weeks have felt a bit trivial. How can we care about expensive clothes, runway shows, and influencers when we are being bombarded with news of violence and war?
Nevertheless, the need for creativity in times of difficulty is very human, and, though perhaps seemingly frivolous, art takes on a more crucial aspect than ever.
This tension has been on the minds of many creators, but especially Demna Gvasalia, who has a personal history with war and survival in Eastern Europe. In 1993, at the age of 12, Demna and his brother Guram fled Georgia during the country’s civil war, hiding in bomb shelters along the way and eventually escaping the country. He lived in Odesa, Ukraine, for a little while, before eventually settling in Switzerland.
Ahead of Balenciaga’s show from Paris, the designer shared some of his thoughts and hesitations on focusing on fashion at a time of such crisis and generously shared some of his personal perspective on the issue:
“In a time like this, fashion loses its relevance and its actual right to exist. Fashion week feels like some kind of an absurdity. I thought for a moment about canceling the show that I and my team worked hard on and were all looking forward to. But then I realized that canceling this show would mean giving in, surrendering to the evil that has already hurt me so much for over 30 years.”
This show needs no explanation. It is a dedication to fearlessness, to resistance, and to the victory of love and peace.”
– Demna Gvasalia
While Demna’s voice has been the strongest, he isn’t alone in calling for peace and support for the victims of the war. Gigi Hadid, for example, pledged to donate all the funds she earns from this fashion week to charities that support victims of the crisis.
It’s great to see this shift in publicity from prominent voices in the world of fashion, which normally stays out of political issues. We hope that more artists can lend their voices to calling out and standing against violence and war moving forward. We hope to see more creators and people everywhere speak out more strongly and condemn violence, no matter what its supposed justification or who its actors may be.
