Designer of the Year: Demna Gvasalia for Balenciaga
In 2021, Demna Gvasalia redefined the reach and possibility of fashion design. His Balenciaga has challenged our assumptions about celebrity, luxury, popular culture, and even reality itself. As designers struggled throughout the pandemic to adjust to virtual fashion shows, Balenciaga seized an opportunity to plunge into the metaverse, partnering with Epic Games, the developer behind Fortnite, to create a video game for fall 2021. A few months later, Balenciaga boot-pants and hourglass jackets showed up on Gucci’s runway, part of what both brands (which are owned by the conglomerate Kering) deemed the “hacker project.” Over the summer, Gvasalia directed two of Kanye West’s stadium-size Donda listening parties—and in the midst of all this, relaunched Balenciaga couture, recharting the industry’s direction, away from hype and toward handcraft. In September, Balenciaga ruled the Met gala red carpet, and cemented a partnership with Fortnite that allowed players to dress in its signature looks. At Paris Fashion Week in September, Balenciaga served up a rare moment of genuine surprise and delight, debuting a 10-minute-long Balenciaga-packed episode of The Simpsons.
Gvasalia is a populist interested in subverting fashion; what he has done with each of these projects is dismantle, brick by brick, the false boundary between vernacular and luxury. His platform-sole Crocs, satirical prom suits, and leather Ikea bags—all at luxurious price points—get a rise from the masses, and expose the clichés of fashion elitism. But with video games, cartoons, and mega-wattage celebrities, Gvasalia is finding unexpected ways to extend the reach of a luxury brand. —Rachel Tashjian
From left: A look from Molly Goddard’s fall 2021 collection; Russell Westbrook at Thom Browne’s spring 2022 show; a look from Celine’s spring 2022 collection; Kid Cudi in Vuitton at the Met Gala.
Molly Goddard, Ben Broomfield; Russell Westbrook, Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC images/Getty Images; Celine photograph, courtesy of brand; Kid Cudi, Theo Wargo/Getty Images.New Wardrobe Staple: The Skirt
Fashion hall of famers like Marc Jacobs—and, you know, bagpipers—have worn skirts for years, and designers like Raf Simons and Yohji Yamamoto have featured them on the runway since the ’90s. But when Russell Westbrook, Jordan Clarkson, and Dan Levy arrived at Thom Browne’s runway show this fall in resplendent, avant-garde kilts, it was clear that the skirt had officially transcended the tired debate over gender in fashion. While you won’t yet find them on the racks of mass-menswear stores like J. Crew now—head to Celine, Comme des Garçons, or SSENSE instead—you can bet the style will trickle down soon. —Samuel Hine