In a surprise announcement by parent company Kering Group, Demna has been named as Artistic Director of the Italian luxury brand.
Demna Gvasalia, creative director of Balenciaga since 2015, is heading to Gucci. The announcement, made by multinational parent company Kering, follows a swirl of rumors that came after the departure of Sabado de Sarno, the Italian fashion house’s previous Artistic Director. Sarno left his post last month after a brief two year stint.
Hailing from Georgia, Demna’s singular perspective on fashion, luxury, and wealth was defined by his early life growing up in the shifting geopolitical landscape of the Caucasus and Eastern Europe, where his family moved between Tsiblisi, Moscow, and Ukraine. After serving on the design teams of Maison Margiela and Louis Vuitton between 2009 and 2013, Demna launched Vetements in 2014 with his brother, Guram Gvasalia. A year later, Demna took the helm of Balenciaga, filling the position vacated by Alexander Wang.
Demna’s tenure at Balenciaga has been considered by many as groundbreaking for late 2010s pop culture. His subversion of streetwear-as-luxury and playful usage of aesthetic elements of working class dress asked provocative questions about the nature of the luxury industry and who, necessarily, fashion is for. The creative tension behind his work inspired a generation of new and alternative designers, with his signature baggy proportions shifting the needle of consumer tastes. All the while, the designer worked with cultural icons of the decade, including Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman, and Kanye West, creating moments on the red carpet that achieved a level of visibility on social media atypical for luxury fashion. The most notable allusions to the brand’s founder Cristóbal Balenciaga came in Demna’s four couture collections, which challenged notions of proportion and silhouette to tremendous acclaim.
The change at Gucci comes after several quarters of deepening losses in revenue for the luxury brand which represents the largest section of Kering’s diverse portfolio. Reflecting on his hope for the brand, François-Henri Pinault, CEO of Kering, noted in a press release that “Demna’s contribution to the industry, to Balenciaga, and to the Group’s success has been tremendous. His creative power is exactly what Gucci needs.” Demna’s tenure will begin in July 2025. His successor at Balenciaga has not been announced.
