The Cruise 2025 season has, thus far, transported us to Marseilles for Chanel, London for Gucci, Barcelona for Louis Vuitton and we’ve jetted off to Shanghai, China for Balenciaga. The brand’s creative director Demna ventured to China’s central coast, the country’s biggest city and global financial hub to unveil his latest collection. Against the city’s metropolis and majestic skyline and set outside the Jean Nouvel-designed Pudong Art Museum at nightfall, not even a torrential downpour was enough to stop the models from taking to the runway. Throughout the collection, puffer jackets became bags and gym bags morphed into evening gowns. Elsewhere, the Balenciaga sneaker received an update, now towering to a height of 16cm. Demna also unveiled a collaboration with sportswear brand Under Armour, while the closing look was crafted entirely out of upcycled plastic bags.
Read below the reactions of theFashionSpot’s forum members:
“Demna ran out of things to say many seasons ago. Stop making Demna happen again. Why is he trying to copy Rick Owens? It’s time to show the new Balenciaga clients the real Balenciaga. Where’s the glamour?” [tourbillions]
“Demna, not every piece of clothing needs to be a shoulder bag.” [youthinasia]
“Unless you’re a magazine editor and Balenciaga is buying your ads (then I would feel for your mandatory attendance). Otherwise, the rest of the guests aka fashion victims deserve a cold after sitting in the rain for this crap and kissing Demna’s ***.” [TomBlanksFullFatMiuMiu]
“All of his shows just blend into each other, even the horrible soundtracks sound the same.” [LadyJunon]
“Demna’s angry-ugly nihilistic garbage was a disgrace from the very beginning, particularly in the context of Balenciaga and in the wake of Ghesquière. That this industry continues to indulge the same exhausting mess season after season is depressing and depraved in equal measure.” [GoldenTribe]
“After the first 3 looks, I was done. Like serious, it’s just the same parade of Demna’s usual nonsense for the last two years. The whole thing could be a lookbook. Literally the same stunts, different cities. Can we move on from him already?” [THD96]
See all the looks from the Balenciaga Cruise 2025 collection and join the conversation, here.
