Other than metaverse. Balenciaga’s Fall22 is a physical and aesthetic representation of the ’90s.
“A message from the past about what could have been and never was è mai stato”, this was the phrase with which the French fashion house presented “The Lost Tape”, its Fall 2022 collection.
A real journey through time that of the creative director of Balenciaga Demna – from now on he will sign his works only with his first name “separating creative work from personal life” – immortalized by the camera and the lens of the American director, screenwriter and photographer Harmony Korine.
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I open a small parenthesis on Gsvalia’s choice to distinguish his working identity from his personal one. In a context such as the contemporary one in which we tend to identify ourselves with our work, in which being recognized and recognizable is an essential prerogative and in which privacy is perhaps the most coveted luxury – along with free time – it makes sense that the creative director of Balenciaga wants to draw an insurmountable line between himself and his work, creating almost a pop alter-ego that dominates contemporary fashion at all levels (Balenciaga is the most searched brand online in 2021). Because as Tyler Durden said in Fight Club (not to mention, Chuck Palahniuk’s ’96 novel and David Fincher-directed film in ’99), “you are not your job”.
“Hi, I found this. I made it for you many years ago. I finally found it”, with these words entrusted to a note, the screenwriter of the generational cult film Kids (1995) and director of Gummo (1997) described, if one can say so, the concept behind “The Lost Tape”.
A little more than 10 minutes of VHS video and consequently lo-fi in which Korine has captured the “red carpet” and the entire show, catapulting us instantly to the mid-90s perpetuating the decisive aesthetic impact, of which the same American photographer and director was one of the major proponents and interpreters as well as having defined, in a natural and unconscious way, the canons.
From a point of view strictly related to the collection, Demna has put together a proposal almost entirely dominated by black, in which there are Balenciaga classics such as: coats down to the feet and characterized by wide collars and broad shoulders; over jackets and wide leg jeans; and proportions that, as usual, play a key role. The entire collection is composed of 89% sustainable and certified fabrics as well as the leather used is recycled.
Here you can see the full “Lost Tape” from Balenciaga’s Fall22 directed by Harmony Korine.
