It’s hard to believe that Demna Gvasalia, the mastermind behind Balenciaga and Vetements, is only 33 years old; he has worked in the fashion industry since he was 18 years old, after all. Yet even among his peers who have been working in the fashion world since they were teenagers—people like Karl Lagerfeld and Riccardo Tisci—Gvasalia stands out for his unique approach to menswear and his relentless dedication to high-quality craftsmanship. So who exactly is this guy? Let’s learn more about Gvasalia below! Get to Know the Mastermind Behind Balenciaga and Vetements Demna Gvasalia
Table of Contents
Early life
Gvasalia was born in Tbilisi, Georgia. When he was young his father left the family. He studied at a Swiss boarding school before attending Central Saint Martins in London. In 2007 he co-founded of streetwear brand VETEMENTS with childhood friend Guram Mamulia.
Gvasalia also heads up Paris-based label Vetements with his brother George Gvasalia who is its creative director. Get to Know the Mastermind Behind Balenciaga and Vetements Demna Gvasalia
Fashion studies
Born in Soviet Georgia in 1987, he studied at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design before becoming a designer. In 2011 he founded his own company Vetements with Guram Gvasaia. He has been the creative director for Balenciaga since 2015.
Work with Thom Browne
Demna studied fashion design in London before moving to Paris, where he interned with Louis Vuitton. He then went on to intern at Maison Martin Margiela before joining forces with his childhood friend Guram Gvasalia (no relation) at Vetements. After the huge success of their first show in 2014, they parted ways- Demna taking over as creative director of Balenciaga and Guram starting up his own line under the same name.
2012 F/W MAN show with Kris Van Assche
The Fall 2012 MAN show was one of the most highly anticipated men’s shows in recent history. The anticipation for this show was largely due to the fact that it was debuting a new designer-Demna Gvasalia. This would be his first show since he became creative director at Balenciaga.
The collection focused on geometric shapes, monotone color palettes and exaggerated proportions.
Collaboration with Heron Preston
Recently I had a chance to chat with Heron Preston about collaborating on his next collection. He said one of the things he likes most about working with different designers is that it forces him to be more creative and think outside of his comfort zone.
Co-Founder of Vetements
Demna Gvasalia is a Georgian fashion designer, currently the creative director of Balenciaga and the co-founder of Vetements. Born in Soviet Georgia in 1986, he grew up with a father who was an architect turned politician. After finishing his graduate studies at Antwerp’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts in 2008, he went on to become one of today’s most influential fashion designers.
Creative Director at Balenciaga from 2015 to date
Demna Gvasalia is a Georgian fashion designer. He is currently the creative director of Balenciaga and co-founder of Vetements. Prior to this, he was an associate designer at Maison Margiela.
Q.&A.
1. What do you feel sets you apart from other designers? I think what sets me apart is that there are certain things in fashion which I don’t want to follow. As much as people say they want to break down all the rules, you always find that there is some major rule in place.
How do you say Demna Gvasalia?
Demna Gvasalia is a Georgian fashion designer, currently the creative director of Balenciaga and the co-founder of Vetements. He grew up in Tbilisi with his two brothers; Margvelashvili studied at London College of Fashion for five years. After studying at London College of Fashion for five years, he moved back to Georgia where he founded his own fashion label. In 2012 he was chosen by Stefano Pilati as head designer of womenswear at Fendi.
When did Demna Gvasalia start at Balenciaga?
In January 2017, Demna Gvasalia took over from Alexander Wang as creative director of Balenciaga. Prior to this, he was artistic director of menswear at Louis Vuitton. He is also co-founder of fashion label Vetements with his childhood friend and business partner Guram Gvasalia. The label has grown in popularity since its first runway show in 2014; it now sells in department stores like Barneys New York and Selfridges as well as multiples like Dover Street Market.
Q.&A.
– Who is Demna Gvasalia?
Demna is a Georgian fashion designer who currently serves as Creative Director at Balenciaga. Originally trained as an architect, Demna became interested in fashion design and made his debut as head designer of Vetements in 2012. Since then he has ascended to arguably the most influential and revered menswear designer in the world.
– What led him from architecture into fashion?
When did Demna Gvasalia start at Balenciaga?
Demna Gvasalia is a Georgian fashion designer who currently serves as creative director of Balenciaga. He has worked with the company since 2011 and was named creative director in March 2015. Prior to joining Balenciaga, he was the co-founder of Vetements.
When did Demna leave Vetements?
Demna has left his role as co-founder of Vetements in order to take on a new challenge. He will be replacing Alexander Wang as creative director of Balenciaga. This is a huge step for Demna. Though he was not working with the brand at this time, it’s still an amazing opportunity for him.