Over the last few years, the house of Balenciaga has become associated with gimmicks (see: the Erewhon collaboration) and viral moments. But before the internet and the brand’s penchant for generating buzz (sometimes to negative reactions), the house was known for its one-of-a-kind craftsmanship and its founder, Cristóbal Balenciaga. In the new Disney+ series, Cristóbal Balenciaga, the story of the prolific couturier is told through some of the highlights of his career, starting with his first-ever fashion show in Paris. The series’ costumes were crafted by Bina Daigeler, who describes the assignment as a “huge responsibility”.
“It’s just a challenge because it’s haute couture,” the costume designer tells Refinery29. “I wanted to show these old couture techniques that you can still see in some of the houses, like hand embroidery and what it’s like to tailor from scratch.”
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Born in Spain, Balenciaga’s career started when he used to make replicas of other designers’ work for local customers. After gaining recognition for his tailoring skills at home, he moved to Paris, where he launched his house to lukewarm reception. It was only when he started incorporating elements from his heritage — like the bustle skirts inspired by Diego Velázquez’s painting Las Meninas and the mantilla lace details — that his work started gaining momentum and being recognised for its couture excellence.
While the series is an intimate look at Balenciaga’s life, it also shows the larger fashion ecosystem of the time, including French designers like Christian Dior (Balenciaga’s biggest competitor), Hubert de Givenchy and Coco Chanel. But it was dressing characters like Prudence Glynn, The Times of London’s famed fashion editor, and Carmel Snow, the former editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, that Daigeler says was “a lot of fun”. Her aim was to “show how extravagant they were”.
Daigeler started work by visiting the Balenciaga archives in Paris. “We had access to real pieces and could take a look, but we didn’t have any patterns,” she recalls. “We started to make prototypes to be as accurate as possible to the old designs.” With access to Parisian couture houses, archives and museums, her team began crafting the replicas. “I wanted the audience to really understand better what an artist Cristóbal Balenciaga has done in his creations,” she says.
But the show isn’t all couture and society parties. In the second episode, for example, the audience sees how Balenciaga’s business was impacted by the Nazi occupation in Paris, when the designer was forced to tone down his designs to fit with the German military’s regulations. Daigeler, whose past work includes Tár and Mulan, says that, while sourcing and crafting military uniforms was a challenge, it was adopting Balenciaga’s work to the sober mood of the time that posed a bigger demand. She says she wanted to “explain what happened in that period through the runway shows.” “It was really emotional,” she says.
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In a world dominated by fast fashion and internet virality, Daigeler says that she hopes audiences gain a deeper appreciation of the art of couture through Cristóbal Balenciaga. “I hope people see what a beautiful work it is to be a tailor or a seamstress and that without this knowledge haute couture can’t exist,” she says. “I hope we don’t lose it.”
Cristóbal Balenciaga is now streaming on Disney+.