SAVOIR-FAIRE

The Balenciaga 54th Couture Savoir-Faire video directed by Gianluca Migliarotti, highlights the craftsmanship, collaboration, and artistry at the core of Balenciaga’s 54th Couture Collection. Shot in Migliarotti’s poetic style, the documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Demna’s final collection for the House, featuring narration by the Premières of the Atelier Flou and Atelier Tailleur, a Senior Couture Designer, Neapolitan tailors, and the directrice of Balenciaga Couture.

The film opens by exploring the House’s couture ateliers, as well as the creation of the reengineered corsetry that underpins 10 looks from the collection, an embellished houndstooth skirt suit that replicates a design once worn by Danielle Slavik—one of Cristóbal Balenciaga’s favorite models—and the construction of several dresses and gowns from the collection: a Chou dress in scuba satin, a “debutante” gown in ultra-lightweight Japanese super organza, a sequined diva dress, and more.

Migliarotti—known for O’Mast, a filmic tribute to the traditions of Neapolitan tailoring—then turns to the House’s collaboration with four family-run tailoring ateliers in Naples, focusing on the multi-stage fittings on a bodybuilder, interspersed with footage of the handmade construction that gives Neapolitan tailoring its defining lightness and ease, as well as footage of the tailors themselves discussing the creation of these one-size-fits-all tailored ensembles. The documentary delves into Balenciaga’s collaboration with Duvelleroy, the historic Parisian fan maker founded in 1827, following the stages that make up the reproduction of two archival Duvelleroy designs: Les Fleurs d’Argent (1895) and Pliable (1905). Viewers see the steps that comprise nearly 200 hours of craftsmanship required for each fan, with the film capturing the meticulous finishing of the fans’ frames and their embroidery by Maison Lesage.

The Balenciaga 54th Couture Savoir-Faire video is an ode to the artisans, ateliers, and their craftsmanship and savoir-faire that have been central to every aspect of the House for the past 108 years.