Balenciaga is heading to New York City to unveil its spring 2023 collection, WWD has learned.
The Paris-based fashion house, controlled by French luxury group Kering, said its creative director Demna would stage a runway show there on May 21.
Other details, including the venue, are still under wraps.
It’s the latest sign of a strong return to destination fashion shows as the pandemic loosens its grip. As reported, Pucci is heading to Capri on April 28 to unveil its first designs by Camille Miceli and Dior plans to hold a runway show for Maria Grazia Chiuri’s pre-fall 2022 women’s ready-to-wear collection on April 30 in Seoul.
Chanel kicks off the 2023 cruise season with a showing May 5 in Monaco, and Louis Vuitton heads to southern California for its show on May 12. Meanwhile, Gucci has earmarked May 16 for a coed show to be held somewhere in Europe, and Kim Jones plans to unveil his spring 2023 men’s collection for Dior in Los Angeles on May 19.
Balenciaga’s New York showing is bound to be a hot ticket, given Demna’s reputation for mounting immersive and gripping fashion spectacles.
His fall 2022 show in Paris last month had models battling gale-force winds in a giant snow globe, evoking images of Ukrainian refugees fleeing their country amid Russia’s invasion.
The designer is known for fearless and incisive commentary on the climate crisis, the perils of technology, the geopolitical situation — and fashion itself.
He also continues to have a broad impact on fashion. Last July, he staged Balenciaga’s first couture show since Cristóbal Balenciaga retired from fashion in 1968, and his strong-shouldered tailoring foreshadowed a glut of dark pantsuits in an array of fall 2022 collections.
Alexander McQueen, also controlled by Kering, opted to show its fall 2022 womenswear collection in New York on March 15.
