Daily Front Row

2012 November 5

Balenciaga Loses Nicolas Ghesquière

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Nicolas Ghesquière
Billy Farrell Agency View Gallery

(NEW YORK) In an adieu that should launch the next round of creative director roulette, Nicolas Ghesquière is parting ways with Balenciaga after 15 years at the PPR brand. Ghesquière is credited with revitalizing Balenciaga upon being named creative director in 1997 and taking the label to critically-acclaimed heights in the realms of both ready-to-wear and accessories.

The 41-year-old designer first entered the Balenciaga fray two years prior, as a licensed product designer. Before joining Balenciaga, Ghesquière spent the early nineties at Jean Paul Gaultier. The designer's earliest fashion foray was as a summertime Agnès B internship at age 15. 

Balenciaga's cultish status flourished during Ghesquière's time there, as the designer introduced a cleanly-lined, minimalist take on femininity to the label's super-structural ethos. In 2001, Balenciaga was snapped up by Gucci Group in 2001. In 2010, the design house unveiled a fragrance with a campaign fronted by Ghesquiere's pal, Charlotte Gainsbourg.

The purportedly amicable split will occur on November 30, and Ghesquière's next moves remain unknown. As for his successor? Let the guessing games begin...