Demna’s Final Balenciaga Collection Pays Tribute to Paris and a Decade of Disruption

Demna Gvasalia took his final bow at Balenciaga with a Fall 2025 couture collection that was both a personal farewell and a homage to the house’s legacy. Presented in Paris, where his fashion journey began, the show merged sculptural integrity with emotional resonance, marking the close of a decade-long tenure defined by his boundary-pushing ideas. 

“This collection is the perfect way for me to finish my decade at Balenciaga,” Demna shared in his show notes. “I have come as close as possible to being satisfied in this endless pursuit of impossible perfection—the defining ethos of Cristóbal Balenciaga.”

The collection balanced couture tradition with experimentation, remaining true to Gvasalia’s love for innovation. Minimalist silhouettes were balanced by Demna’s intricate constructions: corsetry that created hourglass shapes while remaining wearable, puffer coats, and a trompe-l’œil corduroy crafted from 300 km of tufted embroidery. Each look felt distinctly Balenciaga—and distinctly Demna. 

Demna’s study of “La Bourgeoisie” manifested in sharp tailoring with tulip lapels and Medici-inspired necklines. Elsewhere, a black sequined “Diva” gown nodded to Marilyn Monroe, while Kim Kardashian, wearing a feathered “mink” coat over a silk slip, channeled Elizabeth Taylor, even donning her personal diamond earrings.

From Old Hollywood glam to recycled flower brooches made of discarded tissue, the collection was deeply personal to Gvasalia, stripping everything back to what he knows best. “It is not the garment that defines the body, but the body that defines the garment,” Demna wrote.

Scroll on to explore highlights from Demna Gvasalia’s farewell collection for Balenciaga—captured throughout Paris as a nod to his creative origins.