CALIFORNIA DREAMING: Balenciaga is the latest European brand to succumb to the lure of California.
The Paris-based fashion house plans to unveil its fall 2024 men’s and women’s collections with a fashion show in Los Angeles on Dec. 2. The venue and other details are still under wraps.
Balenciaga operates a flagship boutique with an industrial warehouse decor at 338 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
This marks the second time Balenciaga’s creative director Demna has chosen an American city to unveil a new collection: In May 2022 during the resort 2023 season, the brand staged a runway show on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, memorable for its models in full latex suits with only their ponytails, braids and thick fake eyelashes poking through slits.
Balenciaga will also stage a fashion show during Paris Fashion Week, which is scheduled from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3. Demna will unveil the brand’s summer 2024 collection in the French capital.
It looks like the Kering-owned fashion house might be the first to kick off the sprawling pre-fall collection season, which usually encompasses destination shows.
Chanel is to show its next Métiers d’Art collection in Manchester, England, on Dec. 7.
California has become a hot spot for destination shows the last few years, with Versace, Ralph Lauren, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Celine and Saint Laurent among brands that have mounted runway events there.