Demna Gvasalia of Vetements Is Named the Artistic Director of Balenciaga

Demna Gvasalia of Vetements photographed in his showroom last year. Photography by Roy Beeson for Yahoo Style

After weeks of speculation, it was announced today that Georgian-born designer Demna Gvasalia of Vetements has been appointed as the new artistic director of Balenciaga.

Gvasalia will debut his first collection for the house at next season’s Fall 2016 shows to be held in March. He will also continue to helm his own line with the collective that includes his brother and best friends.

Paris Fashion Week has been abuzz with who would fill this role following the departure of Alexander Wang, who showed his final collection (featuring his famous besties on the runway) this past Friday. Rumored frontrunners have included everyone from Sacai’s Chitose Abe to Alistair Carr, the former creative director of Pringle of Scotland, who worked under Nicolas Ghesquiere at Balenciaga for four years.

It’s not surprising that Gvasalia got the top position. An alum of both Louis Vuitton and Martin Margiela, the Vetements label has been the talk of the industry since it launched this time last year. The buzz grew louder following a ringing endorsement from Kayne West, and now editors of every stripe have been seen wearing Gvasalia’s deconstructed denim looks.

Just last Thursday, Gvasalia showed his well-received Spring 2016 collection at a packed Chinese restaurant that reportedly included over 200 buyers as well as the faithful Mr. West.

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