After opening his first boutiques in Spain in 1918, civil war forced Cristóbal Balenciaga to uproot and move to Paris, sparking the inception of the world-renowned, luxury fashion house. Balenciaga’s success in France was instant, with buyers – including the decade’s stars such Carole Lombard, Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich - queuing and scrambling for his latest bows and boleros. Often dubbed the king of post-war Parisian fashion, the iconic Christian Dior was in awe of his rival, stating “haute couture is like and orchestra, whose conductor is Balenciaga." Famed for its cutting edge fabrics and avant-garde structural pieces, Balenciaga playfully teeters on the edge of fashion and makes sartorial forecasts like no other. Now with Georgian Demna Gvasalia at the helm as creative director, the brand continues to evolve with the times and produces Balenciaga handbags and shoes which strike original silhouettes produced from technically perfected fabrics.