Balenciaga Takes Over The New York Stock Exchange

The sky is the limit with Balenciaga’s new designs.

In another nod to mid-century modern, the NYSE building shut down to make way for Balenciaga on the morning of May 22nd. The French fashion house took over the Stock Exchange steps, which are usually bustling with traders, to show off its new Spring 2023 collection. Models walked the runway wearing latex bodysuits and all-black corporate luxe outfits, in addition to some pieces featuring cut-out details and elaborate amounts of coats.

Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, was among the special guests at the Balenciaga fashion show. The celebrity guest list also included New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Alexa Demie, and Megan Thee Stallion.

The show was divided into three sections, starting with a new “Garde-Robe” collection that included curiously large suits and jackets cut in the drop-shoulder outline. Followed up were silk channel dresses with trains, which accentuated the matched inflatable padded heels.

And finally, collaboration with Adidas on a sports assortment intended to mirror Balenciaga’s athletic soul. Tracksuits, fighter robes, shirts, and skirts with Adidas distinctive stripes make up the third element.

The most significant element of the collection was its core—the big, boxy suits and coats that came in a range of shades but were all cut in the overly large silhouette that has become a fashion statement.

“The most important kind of challenge for any kind of creative is to make a product that is desirable, to create desire. That’s what fashion should do,” Balenciaga’s creative director, Demna Gvasalia, said.