This article was published in Atelier Magazine's Nov. 2011 issue.

We all draw inspiration from what’s around us. But few can capture the essence of a nation. Cristóbal Balenciaga is a name synonymous with perfection and elegance. Digging behind the vivid imagery of his beautiful mind, Kuhu Kochar finds Spain marching right through it.

Born in 1895, in Getaria, a Basque fishing village in the province of Gipuzkoa, to a seamstress mother, Cristóbal Balenciaga’s mother’s wealthy clientele gave him the perfect window to explore and express his impeccable tailoring, innovative fabric choices and undying love for Spain. 

A great first influence in his life was Marquesa de Casa Torres. The Marquesa’s opulent lifestyle, her fetish for couture and flawless tailoring fed his sensitivity, acting as the perfect catalyst to his craftsmanship. She soon introduced him to one of the finest tailoring shops in Spain. There was no looking back. Balenciaga opened his first boutique in San Sebastián, Spain, in 1918, and soon broadened his base to Madrid and Barcelona. Holding fort in Spain with clients like the Spanish royal family and aristocracy, he often travelled to Paris for inspiration, looking up to fellow designers like Coco Chanel and Vionett. 

The Spanish Civil War forced him to close his stores, and move to Paris. In 1937 he created the firm Balenciaga in collaboration with Wladzio d’Attainville and Nicolás Bizcarrondo, and in August of that year, presented his first haute couturecollection in the international fashion capital. But like a true lover, thoughts of Spain remained with him making her his muse for this and all later collections, which featured strong influences from period costumes too. As art evolved so did his style of work. Goya’s use of colour and movement, Velazquez’s opulent portraits and the use of fabric and jewellery in seventeenth-century depictions of life and people were all seen in his work at some point. The abstractions and contemporary modernism of Joan Miro could be seen in his cuts and abstraction in thought. 

Artistic reflections helped him develop what is considered his greatest contributions to fashion: The introduction of a new silhouette for women. With the advent of his innovation streak each garment, each collection he created was set out to make an impact. The 1947 tonneau line, the 1951 semi-fitted look, the 1953 balloon skirt, the 1955 tunic, the 1957 sack dress and baby-doll dress became silhouettes that colonise the minds of designers till date. 

He took everyday apparel like the short women’s jacket and gave it a softer silhouette decorating it with beautiful embroidery. He collaborated with embroidery houses such as Bataille and Lesage to re-create the passmenterie, beading, and embroideries of the era. He experimented with garment construction and used his knowledge of technique and tailoring to conceive more abstract silhouettes. The court dress or farthingales he initially referenced in a word-to-word way were later abstracted in the six-pointed peplums of evening gowns. 

A devout Catholic, Balenciaga rarely made public appearances. Having reached his hiatus he gave the fashion industry much to hold on to: The empire line, the introduction of high boots and haute couture plastic textiles. Making his reach global he draped Elizabeth Taylor in a sari dress in 1965. He announced the closure of his couture house in 1968 with the advent of prêt-a-porter. The man believed he was made for finer things in life, not factory-made replicas. He continued to design for close friends until his death in 1972. 

Today Balenciaga, the label, is owned by the Gucci Group and has visionary Nicolas Ghesquière to carry on his legacy. It’s one thing to create beauty out of pure abstraction; it’s a different task to derive from the existing and give it a whole new angle. Balenciaga was a master at that.