An insider's guide to your favourite fashion brands
How did it start? Cristobal Balenciaga was born in a small fishing village in Spain in 1895. He was taught by his seamstress mother how to make clothes. At 13, he was singled out by the Marquesa de Casa Torres, a prominent member of high society, who sent him to Madrid for proper training, later becoming his patron and client.
In 1919, Balenciaga opened his first salon, in San Sebastian, followed in 1933 by two more shops, in Madrid and Barcelona. During this time, his designs attracted a strong following among Spanish royalty and aristocracy.
The Spanish civil war forced him to close his boutiques and he moved to Paris, joining couturiers such as Coco Chanel and Elsa Schiaparelli. In August 1937, he showed his first haute couture catwalk collection, inspired by the Spanish Renaissance. Within a year he was hailed as fashion's newest talent and dubbed the master of construction.
In 1939, he focused on the cut of the sleeve and square yoke. This was by the little black dress in 1940, kimono-sleeve coats in 1946, and balloon dresses and collarless coats in 1949. In 1953, he transformed the silhouette, eliminating the waist. In 1968, after presenting his final collection, he retired to Spain. He died in 1972.
From then until the mid-90s, Balenciaga went into fragrances and licensing. But the Paris- based owners relaunched the fashion side of the brand and appointed Melchior Thimister as head designer in 1992.