Over the past few years, Balenciaga has changed the fashion industry in ways we haven’t seen, perhaps since the brand’s founder, Cristóbal Balenciaga, first opened his atelier in San Sebastián in Spain back in 1917.
Cedric Charbit
The couturier had a forward-thinking vision that would change the direction of couture forever, creating a brand-new silhouette and designing garments that, at the time, were innovative and different but would eventually become timeless. Fast forward over a century later and Cédric Charbit, the brand’s current CEO, is upholding the founder’s legacy and mirroring his vision with the brand’s new direction. Charbit is leading the brand from a business point of view, while Creative Director Demna employs his creative vision. Together, the two have created something special over the past seven years, and this is only just the beginning. In an exclusive interview ahead of the brand’s Spring/Summer 2024 show in Paris, we sat down with Cédric Charbit to discover more about the Balenciaga way.
Tell us about your journey at Balenciaga since you joined in 2016, and what’s the direction moving forward?
I still remember how I was offered the job and the day I joined the company – it was my first CEO job. I entered a fashion house that I knew from afar, and it was iconic for me. I knew Balenciaga was about couture, beautiful proportions and portraits of elegant women who were creatures from the past that inspire us today. This was what I felt and knew about the brand. I knew Cristóbal Balenciaga was a very powerful couturier back in the day. Still, when I joined, I had an introduction to the brand and Cristóbal and how his passion started to blossom. I discovered that this house and the heritage are perceived as classic and elegant – which is true – but I also discovered that Cristóbal was a radical disrupter when he was young. His vision made him a game-changer for fashion. He changed how people dressed and invented couture as we know it today.
I look at those black-and-white images of beautiful women in beautiful Balenciaga gowns that are amazing because of their shape or volume. When you dig into this, you find that these women were, in fact, the ones who were bold enough to wear designs like this because at that time, people thought they were very daring and extreme. Cristóbal had a good balance between creating beauty and pushing the boundaries of what people would consider beautiful. Some of the old reviews of his shows were very challenging and critical, and it was very interesting for me to dig into this. I discovered a wonderful heritage and his ground-breaking vision, and I understood that the successful recent days of Balenciaga – those of when Nicolas Ghesquière was at the house and now even more, Demna – were linked to the story of the brand as well as vision and creativity. You can’t make it average; Balenciaga is not average. I learned what we bring to the history of couture and fashion, and it’s an enormous legacy. I remember meeting with Azzedine Alaïa when he was still alive, and he would talk about only one couturier: Cristóbal Balenciaga. It is interesting how his legacy inspired other icons of this world.
When I first met with Demna, I understood that the disruption people felt he was causing in the industry was connected to what Balenciaga was. Demna also took the time to understand the legacy, learn about Cristóbal Balenciaga, and dig into the archives. At some point, he just understood it all and decided he would do it well. But because the story of Balenciaga has not been shared that much, our work could be perceived as a surprise. In reality, if you understand that Cristóbal was an innovator from the beginning, you know that being innovative today is part of the heritage.
I wanted to create a team with the most interesting leaders in the industry. When you start something, you think anything is possible. You have the ambition and the desire to build around you, and so I recruited from around the world the people that I felt were in sync with the brand and would be game-changers for the industry in the future. The plan was to change fashion – it sounds pretentious – but we are here to change the norm. The journey was about changing how people dress and think about what they wear. So we grew, and at the same time we put creativity at the centre of the house. For the past five or six years we have been really focusing on the current moment and the future, not so much at the past.
There is a fine line between guarding the brand’s legacy and staying true to what you stand for while being relevant – how do you balance this?
We had to choose: will we invest and push on Demna’s vision, or do we push on the past? We had a fantastic legacy and vision and no time to go backwards and re-explain the story, we had to move forward. What I wanted to do when I joined was reconnect the gap between the brand awareness that Demna has brought back to the house and the business side of the company, subsequently improving the sales. This was our focus for five years, and the brand exceeded two billion dollars, which was a spectacular growth. But it’s not just about growing; it’s also about ensuring that the brand is going in the right direction and that we set the agenda in fashion, and I think that’s what we’ve done for the past five years. I’m proud of this. The time has come to explain not only who we are, but also where we are coming from.
Exemplarily leaders know how to navigate change and challenges – when you face a challenge, what’s your strategy to overcome it?
I think the industry and this world is full of very capable and amazing people, it’s important to stay humble. The world is constantly changing, and it’s about navigating that. I’m fortunate to collaborate with a creative force such as Demna because he has a fashion vision and an overall vision for what we want to do. Interestingly, this is what Cristóbal did this at the house in the first place. In those days, houses were also run by the couturiers, who would have a say on the brand’s strategy. And at Balenciaga today, I think we are all part of the success. It just happens that I’m the CEO of this brand, and we are doing this collectively. And I think it’s super important that we recognise the effort of everyone. It’s not only fair; it makes us grow and improve. I believe the more we include people, the more prepared we are to navigate challenges.
Secondly, you must be true to yourself. Especially with a heritage like the one we have and the aesthetic and values that we have as a brand – we’re not here to follow – so as much as I want to grow, I don’t want to do what others are doing; it doesn’t work for us. I believe in being innovative, and I believe that there are learnings everywhere. You need to collect data, understand the world we live in, culture, and the differences between cultures, and respect people. You can have your own opinions and values, but respect is key. At the same time, it’s important to follow your instinct because if you have the right instinct, that will make you different and make you thrive. So, it’s not only about being aware, smart, and analytical.
Balenciaga Summer 24
There is fierce competition in the industry – what in your opinion makes a successful luxury brand today?
To be pragmatic, the numbers are important and they speak for themselves. The second thing that comes to my mind is the craft. If you remove craft from what we do, it will take you nowhere. And most importantly, what truly makes a luxury brand successful is a very small sparkle or element. It could be an event, concept, or emotion that someone had a long time ago. Cristóbal back in the day, he was ahead of his time; he had a vision. If you look at all the brands I respect in the industry, someone at some point had an idea or vision that made a difference. It was a turning point, and there is always this unique storytelling element behind the success of a brand. These people could be no one at the beginning, but they might have a very small idea that eventually becomes a concept that changes the world for decades or centuries.
The revival of Haute Couture was a big moment for the brand – how does this category serve the business today?
Back in 2016, when I first joined, I met with Demna, and we started discussing couture at the brand and how it is a couture house, and this is something we should have. Then for the next four years, we worked on the brand to get it back where it should be in terms of relevance and positioning, but when we had the opportunity to re-do couture – because couture is who we are and where we come from – we immediately took it. Couture is important because it defines us as a brand. I believe what Balenciaga brought to couture back in the days was so major that I felt it was right for us to be back there, doing our job and contributing to the legacy of couture itself. It’s also great that Demna has brought his creativity to the highest couture segment. Today I think Balenciaga is about ready-to-wear AND couture, men AND women, and we are relevant.
In the past few years, the Maison has had major growth in terms of social media and growth in awareness – what was your strategy behind this powerful image?
It became quite obvious that whatever we were doing at Balenciaga was extremely impactful on the industry. I do believe that fashion and entertainment are connected. For example, we entered the gaming industry three years ago, giving us access to billions of users. And this is something the fashion world very much ignores. It is a cultural phenomenon that fashion was never connected to before. There are other elements as well that are not connected to fashion. Balenciaga has been working with the World Food Programme to fight against world hunger, which we put at the forefront of the show. We wanted to use our brand to raise awareness and use our platform to raise awareness of things that are not so much on trend. The most powerful thing we can do today, with all our millions of followers, is make an impact.
One very strong impact we made was when Demna came up with the idea of working with “The Simpsons”. That was something that was so connected to the world and I think we have been able to establish the links between pop culture, entertainment, art and fashion and we have been able to materialise this and become one of the most influential brands of today. For me, it was natural to go beyond the crafts and the clothes to have a 360 approach, and I feel the more we do, the more things people buy into but also believe in. What we do, people consider important, so we also need to be very aware of the message we are sending. The brand has become so exposed that it is important that we act with care and think through every action even more.
Balenciaga Summer 24
Tell us about Balenciaga in the Middle East and what’s in the pipeline for our region.
Our presence in the Middle East was established a long time ago. We now have four partners across the region. We started integrating our stores in the Middle East in 2018; it’s a long process to build our long-term vision constructively. I realised when we started getting more involved in the business in the region that Balenciaga resonates there very well. We have an aesthetic that’s respectful yet daring, creative and unexpected, and I understood that clients in the Middle East were super happy to welcome this. It was one of the first regions to pick up on the brand in the very early days. I saw some of our VICs being extremely passionate about the brand; they would buy within the region but also when they were travelling. The level of sophistication and connection between the client and what we were doing was very interesting. It was also interesting to see which other brands they would mix Balenciaga with, which helped us understand the region’s brand perception.
We have had amazing moments in the Middle East, such as the opening of the Dubai Mall store, and now that we have our own stores rather than franchises, the level of satisfaction is fantastic. We have a very big team there now, and it’s a dream. We also had a big moment with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when we opened a store, which was such a highlight. We have many great relationships with clients in the Middle East, and it’s very authentic and true.
In the pipeline, we have an exhibition and event that will be travelling to the Middle East so that people can discover more about the bridges between now and the history of Balenciaga. Because of who we are and where we come from, the concept of timelessness at Balenciaga is not a goal, it’s the consequence of creativity. We create something new, and eventually, over time, it becomes timeless and iconic. What Balenciaga does is take something that in the first place, may have been shocking and makes it timeless over time. It’s very interesting, and I think it’s important for our fans all over the world to understand more about who we are and where we come from.
Also, when I look at the couture collection and what we have in our archive, I think it’s important that we share this but with a unique point of view. We recently did an exhibition about our customers’ dresses back in the day, and it was beautiful. These dresses are amazing, they weren’t taken from the runway collections but directly from the customers so you could see their body shapes and understand how real women wore them. It highlights how couture was a service to clients to make them feel comfortable and beautiful with who they are and the beautiful body they have. Couture has always been inclusive and diverse; we are here to serve our clients and want to ensure every woman and man looks amazing in our designs. A lot of our clientele know the brand through the lens of what we do today, but very few know what we have been about for all these years, so we want to share more of our heritage through events and exhibitions, but not in a classic way, in a Balenciaga way. We don’t want to go backwards, but we want people to understand why we do what we do today and where we’re coming from.
Balenciaga Summer 24
What’s the professional motto that you live by?
Be curious, as I’m learning every day, but curiosity is something you must have. Also, have discipline in everything you do and put in the work. If you do the work and the right things. All will come as a consequence.
What has been a lesson you have learned through your career?
There are so many lessons we are learning every day. You may perceive yourself through the success you have, and you look at yourself and consider yourself based on the success you could have. I realised and learned that your success does not define you; at the same time, you are not defined by your mistakes or the failures you have in your life. Success doesn’t define you; failures don’t define you. You are the sum of all this, making you a great human being and leader. I believe in experience and growing and I’m happy to say that all the experiences we have throughout our journey are meant to be so that you grow and become a better person. Life is a journey, and we should embrace it all, even failures.
Balenciaga Summer 24
What advice do you wish someone had given you when you were young?
I think I got a lot of great advice from my parents, friends, and business mentors and so I think I got the advice I need. I was lucky, and I am very grateful for this. Pieces of advice I remember include ‘stay true to yourself,’ ‘be respectful,’ and ‘stay humble’ – all this I got, and I realise I was so lucky to receive this.
How would you describe Balenciaga in one word?
Forward.
What can we expect from the SS24 show ? A hint?
This is interesting because this is a question, I often ask Demna. He would say to me: “Expect the unexpected”. The brand has entered a stage where creativity is at the forefront, but at the same time, we are in maturity. I think the brand is finding the right balance between what we expect and what we don’t expect, and I think this is a combination of the things that makes Balenciaga so specific. I believe in creativity and freedom, so I am excited about what’s coming next.
