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Some luxury players lean towards classics, others towards quirkiness. Balenciaga, the Kering-owned luxury fashion brand helmed by creative director, Demna—is a brand dedicated to disrupting design, in both intention and execution. A commitment apparent in the distressed, engineered, heavily textured products on display at the brand’s first India house, at Mumbai’s new luxury retail destination Jio World Plaza (JWP).
The brand’s debut in collaboration with Reliance Brands Limited (RBL), since its announcement in 2022, has been highly anticipated—not only in the industry, but also among its fans. Since then, a string of controversies—a campaign with children holding teddy bears in bondage harnesses and another featuring what appeared to be legislative documents about child pornography—have dimmed the brand’s shine. It continues to be a fashion week fixture, still provocative and popular with celebrities, but public opinion remains polarised and Balenciaga seems quieter than a few seasons ago.
The Balenciaga store in Mumbai stands out for its design, following the brand's Raw Architecture retail concept introduced in 2021.
In India, the brand’s store launch conflated with the JWP opening, in a star-studded event last October with celebrities and supermodels walking down a runway that spanned the length of the retail destination. A little over a month since, on a sunny January weekday, JWP is quiet, dotted by a handful of visitors ambling down the long corridors or browsing from one store to another. Balenciaga—located on the elevated ground level—draws attention first for its distinct interiors, designed according to the brand’s Raw Architecture retail concept. Concrete walls and floors bathe the space in grey; industrial lighting, exposed fixtures and display spaces (aluminium tables, hanging racks) patinated to look worn out amp up the derelict, dystopian quality. If a store could evoke a brand’s design spirit, this is it.
The interior design is a calm backdrop for the products. Present assortments include products from Balenciaga’s Winter 2023 collection, and a few remnants from previous seasons. The frontend is dedicated to accessories, with bags adorning the window display. None of the brand’s viral trash and shopper bags here, but one finds many variations of popular styles. The Le Cagole shoulder bags—a celeb-approved design, with plenty of tassels and trimmings—is available in many colours, and so is the popular Hourglass bag inspired by the brand’s ’50s Basque waistcoats. A function-meets-fashion pick is the Monaco, introduced in the latest season, which shapeshifts between a crossbody, pouch and large bag by adjusting its thick chain strap.
Footwear is a fast-mover for Balenciaga—it is the section which every visitor checks first, in the time the writer spends at the store. On display are 3XL and Triple S sneakers, designs that likely perform better in tropical climate than its chunkier boots and shoes. Sneakers take up space, likely keeping in mind the country’s growing appetite for luxury lace-ups. A selection of ultra-high stilettoes and pumps are placed on polished underlit shelves in the centre of the store. Other offerings include eyewear, hats and mini bags.
Black dominates the palette—black is after all to Balenciaga what pink PP is to Valentino or red is to Christian Louboutin. In clothing, T-shirts, bottoms and jackets are lined in the menswear section. Innovative colour and textile treatments add dimensions to the profusion of logo-emblazoned clothing, perhaps a selection keeping in mind the Indian consumer’s affinity for the trend.
Men’s clothing—T-shirts in particularly—has been a strong performing segment, according to the store personnel. But the store also offers a varied albeit limited womenswear showcase. Sharing shelf space are curve-hugging dresses, tops and hoodies, jackets, bralettes and bottoms. Logos abound here too, but there is variety in colour and texture—a hot pink dress, floral ensembles and sequinned ensembles. A deconstructed white shirt impresses with its sculptural simplicity and a few scarf pleated blouses for their texture. Wearability is in focus, punctuated by offbeat signatures—a pair of its Pantashoes comprising denim pants that transition into boots in the women’s section, and a double-fronted trouser among menswear.
If not a showcase of its viral styles, the space certainly gives a comprehensive view of Balenciaga signatures. The gorgeous pumps notwithstanding, a Balenciaga store isn’t the place one comes looking for pretty. Perhaps not for everyone, but the brand’s outré styles have takers, even in India; a TVOF feature last year on Chandigarh’s luxury leanings revealed the high demand for the brand in the city. These are perhaps the customers that the new store is targetting—logomaniacs and consumers who like standing out and apart, for whom double-fronted trouser and Pantaboots are far too seductive to ever be daunting.
Source: Thevoiceoffashion
